Memoirs of an Executor - A Necrophage Nemesis AAR

[Nikolai]

“Xenos. Neighbors.”

Executor Gapra Taras waved her hand dismissively.

“A menace, even the more friendly ones.”

She sighed.

“But a reality. One must cope with it as well as one can.”

She nodded.

“But I promised a picture of our Empire. Sadly, the xenos are part of that picture.”

She pointed.

“To the galactic north lies the Insatiable Sibulan Provisioners. Ghastly birds, the lot of them. They are the strongest of our neighbors, but they are also suspisously peaceful. We will need to deal with them at some point, but for now I have commanded our only hyperlane to border them to be secured with a strong as possible station.”

Taras furrowed her brow.

“I have also ordered our intelligence agency to monitor them, but so far we have had problems getting an asset there. We have cracked enough of their codes to know they are equal to us both in fleet power, economic power as well as technological prowess.”

She sighed.

“Which is concerning. We need to improve, ever improve. As you can see of the chart I supplied earlier, our economy is strong. But it needs to be stronger! The galaxy is a dangerous place. We need to be ever vigilant.”

A knock on the door.

“Right. It seems my aide needs me. I will be back in a minute. In the meantime, please have a drink from the cabinet. I wager we will both need it as I detail the other xeno empires surrounding us.”

 

[Nikolai]

“The Enlightened Kingdom of Zuhn.”

Executor Gapra Taras sighed.

“We don’t know much about them at this juncture, to be honest.”

She waved her hand dismissively.

“Other than that they are by all accounts a large Empire, and quite religious at that.”

She smirked.

“First contact we had, they implored about our gods and whether we followed The Path. When we answered we didn’t know this Path, they withdrew with what I can only call righteous fury and a selection of bad words about “heathens”.”

She winked.

“In any case, we fortified our only hyperlane bordering them and let them sulk.”

She pointed towards a map.

“To the galactic south, however, we met the United Bodranite Sovereignty. Filthy zenos. Ugly looking lot. We don’t know much about them either. But.”

She held up a finger.

“They are tempting targets. Not yet, but soon. I have ordered expansion towards them down east, and we are fortifying the north-west. While we don’t know much about them, they seem to be isolated diplomatically.”

She smiled.

“And they are close to the galactic rim. If we secure their systems, we should have one less border to worry about.”

 

[Nikolai]

“Xenos. Did I mention we’re surrounded by the filthy lot?”

Executor Gapra Taras sighed.

“And we don’t know much about their strengths except for the Sibulans. It’s not pretty.”

She smiled weakly.

“Yet we will prevail. We are the Triech. We always do. So say we all, right?”

She nodded.

“My plans for the Bodranites will secure one border, I hope. But they are cozying up to the Urzoria.”

Taras frowned.

“Yes, I forgot. I have yet to tell you about them. Ghastly people, looks like floating brains. A nightmare to deal with. Resides to our galactic east.”

She sighed.

“They’re reportedly good warriors though. Most concerning. Expanding like crazy too. At some point they will need to be stopped.”

She pointed to the screen behind her.

“And the Reytenne Assembly, the last of our direct neighbors. Democrats, the crazy, ugly buggers. Nasty xenos, indeed. Otherwise occupied with some unknown entity far away. At least that means they won’t wage war with us, right?”

She yawned.

“I think our session today must be at an end. I will meet you here tomorrow to talk about the state of the Triech realm itself. A most pleasing topic, I assure you.”

 

[Nikolai]

“No, enough of the filthy xenos!”

Executor Gapra Taras clenched her fist.

“Fifty years ago, we controlled one planet. One system. Did not know of the riches, the potential, or the dangers of the universe.”

She grinned.

“Today, fifty years on, we control nine planets and are 63 billion living Triech and 54 billion Akkano.”

A glint in her eye.

“The two first planets were inhabited. They were all made Triech by…persuasion. No one in the universe but they and us knew about us back then. It was…easier back then when it came to such…persuasion.”

A laughter.

“Don’t ask me their species names, I am afraid it was quickly forgotten. Oh, the benefits of ascending to Triech far outweights their importance.”

She nodded.

“As you can see over here, these are the planets currently under our control, Akkanar obviously being our home planet and most important of them all.”

She cocked her head.

“And our policies. Expansionist, naturally. Unrestricted warfare and oribital bombardment if need be, of course. We are the Triech. Obviously we want any planet we can inhabitate to be ours, and if and when we encounter a species living on a planet we cannot – and I am sure you know which I am talking about – specimens should and will be taken as needed.”

She waved her hand.

“The rest is over there, takes notes as you wish.”

She pointed.

“And these are our core values for our Empire; harmony within, adaptability in the face of challenge, and discovery of what lies beyond.”

She winked.

“Catchy words, don’t you agree?”

 

[Nikolai]

“Welcome back, I am glad to finally have some time to reflect again.”

Executor Gapra Taras grinned widely.

“So many exciting things have happened the last few years. Truly the Triech’s future is bright!”

A glint in her eye.

“More worlds colonized, and the Galactic Community founded only two years after our initial talk.”

She shrugged.

“Xeno scum has to be dealt with somehow, and peaceful is preferable at this moment in time. It works. For now.”

She smiled.

“But the discovery of the Portal…that was the highlight of this decade. In 2255, as you know, we discovered the Triech.”

She laughed.

“Yes, we discovered ourselves – in another dimension. I met myself, even. I lead them there too. It turns out the divergence point was the discovery of the hyperlanes. They didn’t, instead relying on warp drives.”

She frowned.

“And they deal with the Beasts. Horrible, horrible xeno beasts roaming the warp world, or whatever you would call it, invading the galaxy at large from them. It makes me think…”

She furrowed her brow.

“There are warp gates in this galaxy too. Few of them, and my scientists assure me these are different than the Portal Triech use. But it do make me shudder at night…”

A smirk.

“But the trade is good, and it seems the Warp Beasts can’t enter our dimension. I hope that will last. Meanwhile we’ve been busy breaking the encryption of the Sibulans, to…look at their tech capabilities. Most fruitful endavour I promise you.”

She laughed.

“But they are not our target for invasion. That, as I told you years ago, will be the unfortunate fate of the Bodranites. They’ve got an ally in the Empire of Urzoria, but…”

She held up a finger.

“We secured an ally too. An ally of convenience, of course, they are after all filthy xenos too. But they work for us for the moment. A most satisfying outcome.”

She looked at her clock.

“But now I will have to leave you, the war declaration is due in only an hour. We are Triech, we will win! But someone has to be there to lead. That, would be me.”

 

[Nikolai]

“I guess I signed on for this, better or bad situations be damned.”

Executor Gapra Taras sighed.

“We had it all under control. Everything. Damned be the Ketling!”

She breathed in heavily.

“I will collect myself. Let’s take it from the beginning.”

She gestured.

“We declared war on the Bodranites. Their allies the Urzoia joined in. A two-front war, but the plan was to invade the Bodranites in full and keep the borders secure with the Urzoria. And we got an ally in the south to help us with that.”

She smiled weakly.

“And it worked. We were close to subjugate the entirety of the Bodranites. So. Close.

Taras closed her eyes for a moment.

“So incredibly close.”

Opening her eyes, she stared right into the eyes of the interviewer.

“Then, the Ketling. In the midst of our territory, their home system laid. It was seemingly empty, save for the sorry remains of a long-lost civilization. We didn’t claim the system though, it was as some outside force prevented us. All ships that entered quickly left. It was an eerie system. Some thought it haunted. Some, holy.”

She waved her fist.

“Then, as we were close to winning our war with the Bodranites, with out fleets far away, they struck. The Ketling revealed themselves. Their fleets equal or bigger than ours.”

Her eyes darkened.

“And they had allied the treacherous Reyenne Assembly, all in secret. A foe with almost the same fleet capacity as ours, it would turn out. Darn xenos!”

She grinned.

“One day, they will be Triech, I assure you. One day…”

She nodded to herself.

“So, we had to peace out with the Bodranites. A nice vassal was carved out from them. And our fleets were sent towards home.”

A pained flash across her face.

“And we almost lost it all. Our core worlds, including the capital planet, fallen to the enemy. Most of our production, lost over night. Our only shipyards, fallen. No way to repair or reinforce properly. A losing battle, as the ketling and the Reyenne ravaged our core territory.”

A proud glint in her eyes.

“But we prevailed. The Triech always prevail. We beat the Reyenne back, took the Ketling home system under painful losses, pressed onwards and just in time reclaimed the shipyard in the Kiram system. From there, we rebuilt. We beat the Ketling back step by step!”

A triumphant gleeful smile.

“We. Are. Triech!”

She nodded.

“And we won. Costly, very costly. One third of our systems and our four core planets was lost at one point. Even our glorious capital. And we won. The Ketling are miserable subjects of us now. As it should be.”

She frowned.

“There was much to rebuild. But the economy now is booming, bigger than ever before. It is, again, good to be Triech. And now you must excuse me, I have a conference call. There is still much to be done.”

 

[Nikolai]

“Welcome back. Please, sit down.”

Executor Gapra Taras smiled widely.

“Yes, there has been some good progress the last few years, after we faced the Ketling.”

A wider smile.

“Already the same year, we expanded to a new planet. Imagine that, in the aftermath of this test, we still had it in us to expand quickly! We are truly Triech!”

A laugh.

“Yes, and we did not stop there. The secrets of the Old Galactic Order, far away in time, was given to us.”

She nodded.

“The secrets of the First League. Or rather, the first of what I am sure will be many secrets to uncover.”

The Executor pointed to the holomap behind her.

“Imagine that, the home system of this long gone galactic entity, in the middle of our territory, ready to be claimed for the benefit of all Triech!”

She frowned.

“Xenos they may have been, but they came far. Almost as far as I hope to see our glorious Empire reach one day.”

A grin.

“Of course, we colonized their sorry remains at once, for the glory of the Triech!”

A laugh.

“And then we continued to subjugate the weak Bodranites. We even visited their allies the Empire of Ulzoria more thoroughly this time.”

A flash in her eyes.

“We took much from them. Our vassals from the previous war got three planets and eight systems, while we directly annexed two planets and seven systems. And them, of course, we gained another vassal from the Bodranites. Weaklings.”

Another laugh.

“Yes. There is not much left of the Bodranites now. A sorry excuse of an “Empire”, the lot of them. One day, they will all bow to us. I will make sure of that.”

A scoff.

“But for now, I will let them be. It is time we look north. There are species to absorb into our glorious Triech Empire over there. So you will have to excuse me, I have matters of state to attend to.”

 

[Nikolai]

“Almost two decades. Two decades if change, not all for the better.”
Executor Gapra Taras sighed.
“I mean, new vassals and an expanded economy is all good and dandy, but the audacity of the Galactic Community to forbid good, old purging…”

She waved her hand.
“Preposterous. Totally, definitely unacceptable.”
A weak smile.
“But we complied. For now. We might be strong, we might be Triech, but we are surrounded by enemies and together they would be too much even for us.”
A frown.
“Someday, we will reverse it though. It cannot stand forever. Triech honor forbids it.”
She nodded.

“Not all has been bad though. We did subjugate parts of the Insatiable Sibulan Provisioners. Much of their lands are now ours, through our new vassals.”
She held up a finger.
“It was costly, but it was worth it.”
She pointed to the holomap.
“We quickly secured the Muphrid and Halax systems, we even got farther. But when they combined their fleets in the Battle of Higma, we had to regroup afterwards to repair. It took precious time.”

Taras shook her head.
“The hit and run tactics were pretty tiresome. Two steps forward, one step back, all the time. When they discovered wormhole travel and invaded our core systems from behind, so to speak…”
She hissed.
“Cowards! In the end they could not stand against us, though. They gave up much of their Empire. As is proper. We are Triech.”

Tapping the chair, she sighed again.
“But as we were fighting in the galactic north, one of our conquered planets in the south rebelled. A most unfortunate thing. They seceded and joined the Cradons. Our friends the Cradons.”
A laugh.

“We are Triech. We don’t really do xeno friends. But these guys somehow like us and have been loyal in our common wars. As the situation is, I decided we should let it pass. Time will come to reclaim what is ours. In the meantime, I signed a non-aggression pact with them and told them to take good care of our wayward citizens.”

Waving her fist, she fell back and let out another laugh.
“You win some, you lose some. In the end, we are Triech and we will end up on top. I plan to continue to befriend the Cradons and now is the time to build up our fleets. A lot. There are xenos to conquer.”

 

[Nikolai]

“A sad day, but necessary.”

Executor Gapra Taras puffed.

“We should be self-sufficient, not needing to buy rare crystals and exotic gasses from the xenos.”

She raised a finger.

“And we won’t for long, I assure you.”

She nodded.

“Yes. An unfortunate necessity. For now.”

A crooked smile.

“All the new ships made us so much stronger. All the resources from our xeno vassals.”

She laughed.

“We even got to be cozy with the fools in the Republic of Cradon.”

She snorted.

“They consider us friends. Xenos, friends of Triech? Well, it suits us to have someone, even as weak as them, as a buffer.”

The Executor shook her head.

“The slave revolt on Opriiuq II was…unfortunate.”

She sighed.

“Our troops fought long. Hard. For months. Over a year. But in the end, the xeno scum, with foreign xeno help, I am sure, managed to get their freedom.

She growled.

“For now. We will return. We are Triech.”

She winked.

“The First League continues to give us their secrets, one at a time. It’s quite an interesting adventure, to learn them, I assure you.”

She winked.

“As for the xeno scum on our borders, the Reyenne Assembly just fell hours ago. A 12 year long war to subjugate them for their transgressions against us, finally over.”

She nodded.

“Yes. The war started in 2318 and now, in 2330, it’s finally over. It has been a mop up for years now. Travel, even with the hyperlanes, takes time.”

She smirked.

“And as our enemies fall, luck befalls us. Not long ago, as you know, the Galactic Market moved to us.”

She snickered.

“Weak xeno scum who couldn’t withstand their enemies. Such will not befall us. We are Triech.”

A wink.

“And now the Reyenne Assembly is our vassals. Life is good when you are Triech.”

She clicked on her display.

“Just look at this. We dominate the western part of the galaxy. And believe me, it is only the beginning.”

She coughed.

“But you have to excuse me. I haven’t felt well recently. I need to rest before the next meeting with my council.”

She coughed again. Was that blood?

“We’ll meet again, my good man.”



Addendum:

The Executor died later that evening. It seems she has been severely ill for a long time, but this has not been disclosed to the public to avoid our enemies to exploit it.

It seems this was still exploited though, although not by foreign forces. Perek Vagras, the new Executor is a firm believer in xeno rights and a well-known opponent to Gapra Taras’ policies. Policies that have made our Empire strong. Only time will tell what will happen to the Triech with such a weak man at the helm of the Triech Absorbers.

I will not be able to chronicle it though. I am old, and tainted in the eyes of the new regime, with my close ties to the former Executor. My time will soon be at an end, being only slightly younger than the deceased Executor. I can feel it in my bones.

All I know, we are Triech. We will prevail. We will conquer. The current Executor will not be in power forever. Someday, a worthy successor to Gapra Taras will show themselves. Taras became 168 years old, the new Executor is merely 43. It might take some time. But in the end, the Triech will rise again.