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Well that is disturbingly authoritarian of them. I can't quite believe the UN we all helped found would evolve into this kind of thing but...well, it has been many centuries.
Kelebek remained behind in their repurposed stolen vessel, now three times larger and more powerful. The android does a good job of maintaining control of the atmosphere and orbit of the main Cartel planet, endeavouring not to win a war but protect as many lives as possible. When the enemy fleet finally overpowered the solitary vessel, Kelebek was able to send all his battle data to the fast arriving Federation fleets, giving them key insight into the capabilities of the enemy ships, and fleet tactics. Kelebek then attempted to safely eject from the dying starship but was destroyed in his escape craft on-route to the planet's surface.
TT1010: As expected, space warfare is about destroying other races entirely, not planetary conquest.
TT1001: I...think...this is...wrong?
TT1000: It is, life is very valuable and rare in this universe. In isolation, we are weak. Together we are strong.
TT1010: I am very pleased with your progress. All of you.
TT101010: Yes, we knew evolution was possible with you TT1010. Literally doubling your processing power was quite impressive.
TT1010: I believe it was Kelebek who called me 'double 10' first.
TT1001: Where...is...KEL?
...
TT1000: I-we do not know. More data required.
TT101010: What is important is that our work contuse on, and successfully. You and your siblings are the future of this Think Tank. Recent events show we are not invulnerable to time.
TT1010: We do have backup plans though.
TT1000: He had several.
TT101010: I'm having some salvagers go down to the planet and some others to check our backup drives. He is probably stuck in one or the other.
The was the working theory the Think Tank and Federation Tactical had come up with before the war. Any break in a defensive perimeter had to be responded to with overwhelming force, lest several billion civilians die in the few days the enemy had free reign over a planet's atmosphere.
This could be problematic.
According to the aforementioned Federation theory, this should mean a Triad surrender, as there is literally nothing beyond galactic condemnation and personal morality preventing their complete genocide.
The Think Tank is disquieted by how easy the war was for humanity. If they become an imperialistic race again, seeing war as a test and useful tool for expansion then measures would have to be put in place to stop them.
TT1000: Humanity is a favoured species.
TT1010: This we knew already.
TT101010: Yes, but to what end?
…
KEL: Well, I have a few theories...
Sad to have the Sirgogg majority upset with our actions, but I'm hopeful that can be mended. In the meantime, the refugees are welcome.
At least the war is over and the Triad are repaying for the damages they caused.
At least the war is over and the Triad are repaying for the damages they caused.
Very. We went from an average of 45 minerals and 25 energy a month to around 100/65 a month. Our alloys income is now nearly 50 and consumer goods are at about 25. I think each of our sciences are a little over 200.
Holy cow, I had no idea! I'm sure you can all tell that Stellaris is probably my least-played Paradox game.
Well the new Earth is different from the old. For one, the overall ruler holds power for 10 years and, with the support of the people, could rule for life. This was also the first interstellar war, and other civilizations have been completely devastated or wiped out. I for one was not excepting a landslide victory. Anguished was a strong, established president with a great reputation. I also like the idea that humans are becoming more and more accepting of strong, authoritarian leadership on the macro scale, while keeping democracy and egalitarianism on a smaller scale. I don't know if that will come to anything, but it was just an idea.
It just spices up our populous! The more the merrier. Although I would have wanted to keep relations friendly with the Sirgogg majority.
You dealt with the subterranean civilization just as I'd do. That means you're Smart As Me (tm). 
That's the beauty of it. The less you know about the game, the more fun it is.
Everyone disagreed with the preemptive but it is becoming clear the Sirgogg do not share our values and were only friendly so they could steal our technology.
Maybe I am a bit of a warmonger, every problem can be solved by throwing bodies at it, as shown by how good the economy was during the last war.
To a hammer, every problem is a nail. I certainly understand where you're coming from. But we shouldn't just throw bodies at problems if we don't need to. Saves us money and bodies.
Kehave keep building ships. My understanding is that the more you have the easier it is to survive. They all don't have to be the largest size, either. What exactly did the Federation get out the war? I didn't see you claim any territory.
You dealt with the subterranean civilization just as I'd do. That means you're Smart As Me (tm).
Thank you!
That was how I felt when playing any of their other games for the first time. Love it.
The ones who fled and joined us are pretty great! It's just the subterraneans who seem to like causing problems (just wait).
I can't remember what I chose for a war goal. Humiliation? I'm not sure exactly how wars work in this game, but it was purely defensive, so my only goal was to stop the Triad from taking Cartel territory.
Chapter 8: Expansion and Discovery
Chapter 8 - 2300 to 2319: Expansion and Discovery
The Federation of Earth is victorious in the Turf War, as it has become known as. Still, there are dangers on all sides. The Iron Bank is an economic force to be reckoned with, for sure, but they also have a fairly powerful fleet. One on one, they would not be a match for the Federation, but with the Vissari State on their side, they could easily best Earth in combat. Technology is where the Federation comes out on top. The Empire is easily the most technologically advanced 'young' space empire in existence.
The election process begins, as promised, in February of 2300. The candidates are as follows: President Anguish, with 65% support; Kimberly Zen of the Free Elections Center party, with 14% support; Willow Vargas, with 12% support; and Carizac the Baanthurian of the Institute for the Advancement of Science, with 7% support. It looks to be another runaway election for Anguish, and those who oppose his continued rule do so mostly to stop the sudden authoritarian and one-partied feel of the Federation.
A few months later, Europa is hit with a series of earthquakes. It appears that the Sirgoggs were excavating a cave system to house a new city, when a careless mistake caused several large building collapses and hundreds of deaths on the surface. An apology is demanded from the Sirgoggs, but the response given is rather vague and diverts blame onto natural seismic activity. The relations have clearly worsened.
Unsurprisingly, President Anguish is victorious in his 4th election. He has been the Federation's president for 45 years now, and some question the justness of allowing a ruler such a long time on the throne. Many bring up the ancient Julius Caesar as reason enough to not give one man so much power for so long.
Earth's first colony in many years is founded in March of 2303. It is called Phoenix, located rather far from earth in the Avim system. The entire planet is covered in glaciers, and great domes of artificial atmosphere are set up to house those species less used to the cold.
The scientists on Earth discover the impossible late 2303. They have figured out how to keep a wormhole stable enough for a ship to enter. At once, the plans for Project Vision begins. This will send one 'lucky' ship through the Cartel controlled wormhole in Altair. The lucky scientist to lead the mission is chosen to be Randall Pyrolithic. He has been exploring the unknown parts of the universe at the command of the UNS Verigan for a decade and is ordered back. The ship will be outfitted with the equipment and technology required to successfully navigate the wormhole.
For unknown reasons, the Think Tank's Galactic Assembly leaves the Jibru Cooperative and relocates to the Klaggian Star Dynasty.
It is not until mid 2305 that the UNS Verigan arrives at the Altair Wormhole. News across the free galaxy has been following the events. On May 1st, Pyrolithic leads the ship in.
It takes a split second for the ship to come out of the other side. It is thousands of light years away, in the Impan system. While not the most useful link possible, this endeavor will surely lead to advances and discoveries into artificial wormholes. Earth receives news of the success a few days after it happens, and the public is somewhat excited. Many theorized it would bring the explorer to an entirely different universe, and the actual outcome is rather disappointing.
Another great scientific discovery comes along in 2308. With the Experimental Hyperlane Breacher, a ship will, theoretically, be able to travel very far at great speeds without the use of a hyperlane. Once again, Pyrolithic is chosen to test. He is recalled from his exploration, and his ship is retrofitted with the EHB.
A transmission received in late 2309 shares with the Federation that the Kalaxenan Ancients have an Endangered Species Preserve on one of their planets. The Federation happened to chance upon the DNA of a long extinct species that greatly interests them. They request that it is shared with them, so that a clone can be produced. The Federation gladly accepts.
A few months later, the Ussaldon asteroid station is put under construction. It is primarily planned to be a mining station with trade hub capabilities, but it could also be used for naval hanger space.
An amazing discovery is made in 2311, a planet of floating islands in the sky. Scientists have discovered a new element never before seen, that appears to negate the effect of gravity on matter. Very quickly, the Federation makes plans to colonize the planet. This will surely bring forth all sorts of scientific discoveries.
In 2312, the EHB is successfully tested, as the UNS Verigan navigates from the Cartel system of Hischmal to the Federation system of Poaa. The downside to the new technology is that it is slower than hyperlane travel by several factors. More development will have to be made before it is a better option.
The galaxy is not in good shape. The Tebbran Shipping Alliance, once one of the most powerful empires in the universe, is shattered by the Jonus invasion. Millions of refugees flee the carnage, settling in the Federation and other friendly civilizations far from the enemy.
In a complete turn around from a a few decades ago, the Kirillian Empire declares war on the Lilarobius Triad. Unfortunately for them, this means that they are at war with the Triad, the Vissari State, and the Steel Bank. Luckily for them, the Jibru Cooperative joins the war with them a few weeks later.
War may not be far away for the Federation either. The Vissari State publicly declares that the Ozaggamum system is rightfully theirs. 2nd Fleet is deployed to the system to deter any Vissari forays into the area.
The colony of Forsteria is established in 2317, on the floating planet in the Norgon system. Scientists flood to the planet to study the floating islands. By this time, the Federation is comprised of about 60 billion citizens from over a dozen species.
The next election cycle comes around later that year. Anguish goes for yet another term, while the rest of the candidates are largely the same. Several factions are worried about the possibility of Anguish winning again; the Federation should steer clear of such authoritarian habits. He has lost some popularity after his government attempted to pass edicts to consolidate power in the Federation.
A month before the vote, evidence surfaces of the Anguish Office swaying voters through intimidation and strong-arming. It is a horrible scandal for the President, and he quickly loses support from many. Anguish is finally out of the office, as Kimberly Zen is elected as President of the Federation. She promises a stronger military to deter possible attacks from the Vissari State and stronger relations with the allies of the Federation. Anguish retires from politics, now 98 years of age.
A grand construction effort begins in 2318: the Macroengineering Testing Station. It will be the first megastructure in the Federation, a truly ginormous creation around Saturn, to be used to conduct engineering research. It is estimated to take over 5 years to construct.
A new threat is born in 2319. The Lozavata Raiders have united under the Great Khan, a powerful psychic by the name of Petals of Indigo. He claims he and his people will stop at nothing to unite the galaxy under the Lozavata Horde. For now, the Horde is at the other end of the galaxy, surrounded by Jonus Extirpators. The free peoples of the galaxy pray that these two murderous civilizations will simply wipe each other out and save everyone a lot of trouble.
The Federation of Earth is victorious in the Turf War, as it has become known as. Still, there are dangers on all sides. The Iron Bank is an economic force to be reckoned with, for sure, but they also have a fairly powerful fleet. One on one, they would not be a match for the Federation, but with the Vissari State on their side, they could easily best Earth in combat. Technology is where the Federation comes out on top. The Empire is easily the most technologically advanced 'young' space empire in existence.
The election process begins, as promised, in February of 2300. The candidates are as follows: President Anguish, with 65% support; Kimberly Zen of the Free Elections Center party, with 14% support; Willow Vargas, with 12% support; and Carizac the Baanthurian of the Institute for the Advancement of Science, with 7% support. It looks to be another runaway election for Anguish, and those who oppose his continued rule do so mostly to stop the sudden authoritarian and one-partied feel of the Federation.
A few months later, Europa is hit with a series of earthquakes. It appears that the Sirgoggs were excavating a cave system to house a new city, when a careless mistake caused several large building collapses and hundreds of deaths on the surface. An apology is demanded from the Sirgoggs, but the response given is rather vague and diverts blame onto natural seismic activity. The relations have clearly worsened.
Unsurprisingly, President Anguish is victorious in his 4th election. He has been the Federation's president for 45 years now, and some question the justness of allowing a ruler such a long time on the throne. Many bring up the ancient Julius Caesar as reason enough to not give one man so much power for so long.
Earth's first colony in many years is founded in March of 2303. It is called Phoenix, located rather far from earth in the Avim system. The entire planet is covered in glaciers, and great domes of artificial atmosphere are set up to house those species less used to the cold.
The scientists on Earth discover the impossible late 2303. They have figured out how to keep a wormhole stable enough for a ship to enter. At once, the plans for Project Vision begins. This will send one 'lucky' ship through the Cartel controlled wormhole in Altair. The lucky scientist to lead the mission is chosen to be Randall Pyrolithic. He has been exploring the unknown parts of the universe at the command of the UNS Verigan for a decade and is ordered back. The ship will be outfitted with the equipment and technology required to successfully navigate the wormhole.
For unknown reasons, the Think Tank's Galactic Assembly leaves the Jibru Cooperative and relocates to the Klaggian Star Dynasty.
It is not until mid 2305 that the UNS Verigan arrives at the Altair Wormhole. News across the free galaxy has been following the events. On May 1st, Pyrolithic leads the ship in.
It takes a split second for the ship to come out of the other side. It is thousands of light years away, in the Impan system. While not the most useful link possible, this endeavor will surely lead to advances and discoveries into artificial wormholes. Earth receives news of the success a few days after it happens, and the public is somewhat excited. Many theorized it would bring the explorer to an entirely different universe, and the actual outcome is rather disappointing.
Another great scientific discovery comes along in 2308. With the Experimental Hyperlane Breacher, a ship will, theoretically, be able to travel very far at great speeds without the use of a hyperlane. Once again, Pyrolithic is chosen to test. He is recalled from his exploration, and his ship is retrofitted with the EHB.
A transmission received in late 2309 shares with the Federation that the Kalaxenan Ancients have an Endangered Species Preserve on one of their planets. The Federation happened to chance upon the DNA of a long extinct species that greatly interests them. They request that it is shared with them, so that a clone can be produced. The Federation gladly accepts.
A few months later, the Ussaldon asteroid station is put under construction. It is primarily planned to be a mining station with trade hub capabilities, but it could also be used for naval hanger space.
An amazing discovery is made in 2311, a planet of floating islands in the sky. Scientists have discovered a new element never before seen, that appears to negate the effect of gravity on matter. Very quickly, the Federation makes plans to colonize the planet. This will surely bring forth all sorts of scientific discoveries.
In 2312, the EHB is successfully tested, as the UNS Verigan navigates from the Cartel system of Hischmal to the Federation system of Poaa. The downside to the new technology is that it is slower than hyperlane travel by several factors. More development will have to be made before it is a better option.
The galaxy is not in good shape. The Tebbran Shipping Alliance, once one of the most powerful empires in the universe, is shattered by the Jonus invasion. Millions of refugees flee the carnage, settling in the Federation and other friendly civilizations far from the enemy.
In a complete turn around from a a few decades ago, the Kirillian Empire declares war on the Lilarobius Triad. Unfortunately for them, this means that they are at war with the Triad, the Vissari State, and the Steel Bank. Luckily for them, the Jibru Cooperative joins the war with them a few weeks later.
War may not be far away for the Federation either. The Vissari State publicly declares that the Ozaggamum system is rightfully theirs. 2nd Fleet is deployed to the system to deter any Vissari forays into the area.
The colony of Forsteria is established in 2317, on the floating planet in the Norgon system. Scientists flood to the planet to study the floating islands. By this time, the Federation is comprised of about 60 billion citizens from over a dozen species.
The next election cycle comes around later that year. Anguish goes for yet another term, while the rest of the candidates are largely the same. Several factions are worried about the possibility of Anguish winning again; the Federation should steer clear of such authoritarian habits. He has lost some popularity after his government attempted to pass edicts to consolidate power in the Federation.
A month before the vote, evidence surfaces of the Anguish Office swaying voters through intimidation and strong-arming. It is a horrible scandal for the President, and he quickly loses support from many. Anguish is finally out of the office, as Kimberly Zen is elected as President of the Federation. She promises a stronger military to deter possible attacks from the Vissari State and stronger relations with the allies of the Federation. Anguish retires from politics, now 98 years of age.
A grand construction effort begins in 2318: the Macroengineering Testing Station. It will be the first megastructure in the Federation, a truly ginormous creation around Saturn, to be used to conduct engineering research. It is estimated to take over 5 years to construct.
A new threat is born in 2319. The Lozavata Raiders have united under the Great Khan, a powerful psychic by the name of Petals of Indigo. He claims he and his people will stop at nothing to unite the galaxy under the Lozavata Horde. For now, the Horde is at the other end of the galaxy, surrounded by Jonus Extirpators. The free peoples of the galaxy pray that these two murderous civilizations will simply wipe each other out and save everyone a lot of trouble.
Hmm...looks like @zenphoenix will need to write up some backstory for the new president...
Also,can I be added to the name list?
Also,can I be added to the name list?
I'm on it.
Kimberly Zen came from the political branch of her family, particularly a branch which settled on Mars in the early days of colonization. As was tradition, her early life and career was overshadowed by her other relatives'. She ascended through the ranks of the UN bureaucracy before unexpectedly being elevator to governor of the Earth sector. Here, she made a name for herself through a strong commitment for the equality of the different groups within the Federation, be they interethnic relations on Earth, Earth-Mars-Belter relations throughout the system, or human-alien relations on Europa and other places where aliens settled. She joined the Free Elections Center party (FEC) because it aligned with her values. Her name was put up for Federation presidential elections, although she initially didn't want to run. However, she soon put her heart behind the campaign.
Kimberly was blamed for the continued deterioration of human-Sirgogg relations. She launched an investigation into the earthquakes on Europa, uncovering the Sirgogg construction efforts underground. Once she learned the scale of the disaster, she sent a demand for an apology from the Sirgoggs, stopping short of demanding compensation. The Sirgoggs were not who humanity thought they were. But they could still be reasoned with, hopefully.
Because of the Europa incident, Kimberly never got far in the presidential race, and Anguish was reelected. He'd been president for as long as Kimberly could remember, which said a lot about the power he could've amassed in that time. But she kept her thoughts to herself and decided to prepare for the next election.
Kimberly was part of the delegation which delivered the DNA samples to the Kalaxenans. The Kalaxenans were remarkably welcoming during the meeting, even going as far as to give the delegation a tour of the Endangered Species Preserve. Kimberly returned home newly inspired. If the species of the preserve could live in harmony with each other with very little Kalaxenan oversight, humanity could coexist with the other friendly aliens of the galaxy.
As the election cycle began, Kimberly capitalized on the Vissari diplomatic aggression, calling for a fleet deployment and better defenses in the Ozaggamum system. She called on neutral and friendly powers, as well as other Federation members, to join humanity in countering the Vissari.
Kimberly was the most outspoken about the edicts Anguish attempted to pass recently, calling them an affront to the Federation's founding values. She ramped up her campaign, holding rallies and town-hall meetings throughout the Federation, hoping to reach as many voters as she could. While the other candidates focused on Anguish's alleged abuses of power, she focused on policy issues, especially Sirgogg relations and the strength of the military in relation to the Vissari's. She also had her fair share of criticism of Anguish to be fair.
Once the scandal broke, it was all over for Anguish. But Kimberly did not expect his defectors to defect to her in such large numbers. She was right to dismiss her campaign managers and focus on policy instead of opposition to Anguish. In just two weeks, she surged ahead of the other candidates and easily clinched a majority of votes. In her inauguration speech, she promised greater funding for the military but also for education and research, as that would ensure a motivated and educated workforce which could build a modern industry capable of supporting a larger and technologically advanced military. She emphasized stronger relations with other Federation members and neutral powers as a way to contain the Vissari and other potential rivals.
Kimberly's first order of business was to fund and subsidize the construction of the Macroengineering Testing Station in orbit around Saturn. Here, the most important research regarding emerging technologies, specifically military technology, would be conducted. Schools and universities across the Federation would be subsidized and instructors trained to nurture the talent needed to carry out this research.
The Lozavatans were on the other side of the galaxy, thankfully, so the Federation was in little danger right now. But their very existence went to show just how dangerous the galaxy could be at times and the necessity of a strong military and close allies to defend the Federation with.
TT1010: A FTL method that actually makes sense?
TT1000: Error, wormhole method does not use faster than light travel. Rather it focuses on removing distance rather than increasing speed.
KEL: There's still the issue of time diffraction. I mean look at this galaxy. To move from one side to the other using hyperlanes means that by the time you've reached the other side, you'd have travelled billions of years into the past.
TT10001: Wormholes are actually worse. If we gained mastery of them, we essentially have one way but extremely precise timetravel. And...since we are basically immortal...
KEL: The synthetic races should have already gone back in time a few thousand or million years and conquered the whole galaxy. Hell...we should have done it.
TT1010: Clearly we did not however, for the galaxy remains divided.
TT1000: More data required...but could this be the source of the unknown intelligence?
...
KEL: Huh. Maybe we did go back after all...
No reason what so ever.
Unbelievable. They just found out that their new transport method was faster and longer ranged and not limited by geography... they're disappinted. Humans are dumb.
KEL: Well...this sort of makes sense if we accept that hyperlanes make sense.
TT1010: They do not.
KEL: Yeah yeah. Abyway, this would be the natural progression. This is essebtialy giving every ship the ability to make a hyperlane anywhere at abytime.
TT1001: Useful.
TT1000: Issue of why no one uses this already.
KEL: Well it shouldn't be possible given what we know to be true of physics. Either this is not how the engines work at all and humans and everyone else are just guessing, or that mysterious intelligence can change the laws of physics very, very specifically.
TT1001: Query. This would be what humans refer to as 'gods'?
TT1010: Basically. Although I wouldn't be too happy to gift a label like that onto anything, even if they had literally created the whole galaxy.
...
...
...
KEL: Ok, someone is definitely messing with us because that is just flat out nonsensical. Who the hell is running the Federation science expedition to this planet and how the heck did they get their doctorate?
KEL: Place your bets, Think Tank. Are these people going to fizzle out in a few centuries or actually become relevent to the ongoing plot of this sorry galaxy?
TT1000: More data required.
...
KEL: You make me sad.
And things get even worse with the Sirgoggs. A shame, I'd hoped humanity could be their bridge to the rest of the universe.
Sad end for President Anguish's career. First rumors of vying for power, and then my office being too... enthusiastic about getting support. Retirement is probably for the best.
This Petals of Indigo is worrisome. I'm sure President Zen will be a fine successor though.
Sad end for President Anguish's career. First rumors of vying for power, and then my office being too... enthusiastic about getting support. Retirement is probably for the best.
This Petals of Indigo is worrisome. I'm sure President Zen will be a fine successor though.
The Macroengineering Testing Station refuses to comment on the ongoing expedition.
Hmm
Of course! "HistoryDude"? Or would you prefer a different name?
The Kalaxenan Ancients is probably the most benevolent empire in the galaxy at this point. They have a dozen or so species on their preserve (including humans, but that's another story).
I've never really played this far into the game, so this is all very new to me! At the moment, this is like watching a movie for the first time, and each twist kinda throws me off, like "wait, what the hell is going on?"
Are you possibly suggesting that this Greater Power is time-travelling AI?
They could have lived happily in coexistence, but those bastards chose persecution and earthquakes over trade and prosperity... I really hope it doesn't come to war with them. Actually, that would be pretty awesome!
If I recall, Anguish retired for just a short while before he took over as head scientist of engineering.
Galactic Genghis Khan?
I'm planning on building several more megastructures for physics and society research. We're already far more technologically savvy than most of the galaxy. Perhaps we can catch up with the fallen empires?