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Getting through a few more updates and I'm really loving this, RossN! Reading a few chapters in one go (specifically those wild few years when the Yldar discovered they were a) not alone and b) everything they thought they knew was wrong) does so much to— well I don't want to say "humanise", but at the very least bring to life what is an infinitely bizarre galaxy. As others said at the time, imagine what it would have been like to her lived through so much change in only a generation or so. (Though as a 21-year-old in the year 2020, I perhaps have something of an idea already... :p)

Really looking forward to continuing!

In the western fringes of Yaanari space lay the red dwarf star Sheraton

I loved this, if only because the idea of an intergalactic Sheraton gives off massive "Lunar Hilton" Kubrick 2001 vibes. :D
 
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The ship report was great and I'm glad to hear that we might see some more as the march of technology goes on.

The lack of a strict dividing line between economic, political and naval leadership is really giving an Elizabethen England feel to things... Or maybe I have just been reading too much about Sir Frances Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh recently.
 
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What an unfortunate event with the wormhole!
 
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All these various alliances and federations going to war with one another or dealing with unique positions are like something out Ancient Greece or the early Medieval steppes. Which I suppose is fitting for the genre of science fantasy... as well as all the powers involved in this story.
 
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Let us hope the Glyrrans don't have too many fleets hidden away on their side of the wormhole ready to send through. If they don't, this war should be like a walk in the park.
 
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Part Twelve: The Golden Monetary Compact-Cosmic Treaty Organisation War (2296 to 2301)
First Battle of Azax.jpg


The openinging shots of the First Battle of Azax, 2298.


Part Twelve: The Golden Monetary Compact-Cosmic Treaty Organisation War (2296 to 2301)

The bridge of the KSS Xiad was a rectangle built on two levels with a crew pit and an officer's command deck. It was not so terribly different from a Yldar destroyer but that only served to highlight the myriad of small changes: Yldar ships tended towards ovals and gently sloping curves on the layout of their rooms and corridors, not straight lines as on a Kammarian warship. As a Federal Fleet vessel the Xiad drew from both Yldar and Kammiarian traditions which could leave newcomers confused. Admiral Ketrilla felt a flicker of amusement as she recognised just such confusion on the face of a young, freshscaled Communications Officer as he assumed his station for the first time. She could relate.


It had taken her days to master the lighting and temperature controls in her private quarters and she'd taken one look at the 'multi-species' shower booth, privately admitted defeat and had it replaced with one from Oros.

The admiral shook the thought away and resumed her tour of the bridge. Technically speaking Azax was the front line and though they could never know when the enemy would strike they at least knew it would be here.

'
Admiral we are reading a surge in sector forty. Probable enemy contacts in five minutes.'

Five minutes warning that the wormhole was opening was good, better than they had had at the start of this war, but it still cut things too fine for Ketrilla's liking. One day they'd have to find out how the Originator-cursed things worked. But not today.

'Activate weapons and hail the fleet. Let's greet our guests gentlemen.'

~~~~~



Kammarian Imperial Fleet.jpg


Ships of the Kammarian 'Swift Star Hunters' battlegroup, on patrol near Poeteur, 2296. These were the first Compact warships to face the enemy.

The war that broke out in 2296, commonly if inaccurately referred to as the Glyrran-Yldar War [1], was the strangest in recent history. The reasons for war were perfectly understandable, but the fact that the two parties were separated by such vast distances made it unique. For the Glyrrans, control of the wormhole was vital and their one advantage over their opponents was that they could strike at Yldar space without risking their own territory in turn. Much to the frustration of Yldar scientists' knowledge of how to stabilise and navigate a wormhole remained elusive.

The Golden Monetary Compact began with the advantage that they did control the 'exit' of the wormhole at the start of the war. The Azax system was firmly in Yldar hands and the first goal of the war effort was in keeping this a permanent state of affairs. With the key system secure the rest of the fleet could occupy the sparsely defended Glyrran territory in the Northern Frontier. To achieve this Jesslur could call upon four fleets. Suthnar's Armada and Kesimor's Armada (better known as the 'Salvaged Fleet') remained much as they had been in the previous war, though the ships or at least the Yldar built ones had been modernised and standardised (as ever the Kobarian vessels marched to the beat of a different drum, their alien technology impossible to retrofit without breaking the ships down.) The two fleets retained their old commanders with Admiral Mak B'Scul leading Suthnar's Armada and Kesh na-Solpan leading the Salvaged Fleet.

In 2274 Kesh na-Solpan had been a quasi-trusted outsider. Many admired his leadership skills and undoubted brilliance but there had been a definite tension about the barbarian pirate king turned loyal admiral. The war against the Rothakans had changed all that, left Kesh na-Solpan wealthy and famous and left him the senior admiral above even his fellow veteran Mak B'Scul. By common consent the Kobarian had assumed overall command of the Yldar military and would be directing the war effort on top of his own command of the the Salvaged Fleet. The ex-marauder knew his old ships the best, though this did not blind him to the other forces at his disposal: the brand new ships of Perek's Armada and the vessels of the Federal Fleet, still bearing their old Kammarian battlegroup name the 'Devouring Star Hunters'. In grand total and counting the Federal ships the Yldar Free Traders began the war with five cruisers (including YSS Limpok the Baneful ), two frigates twenty seven destroyers, two raiders and fifty five corvettes. To this could be added various vessels the Kammarian Imperial Fleet could and would muster.

The Federal ships were under the command of the newly promoted Admiral Ketrilla and more Yldars had entered the service in the years up to 2296, even if Kammarians still made up a narrow plurality of all ranks. Perek's Armada, home of the potent new
Shoshana-class cruisers was led by a male Yldar officer named Ralpakin, formally the captain of the destroyer YSS Khabbash the Furious. The ebony scaled, purple eyed Ralpakin was a renowned trickster which was not just a way of saying he played the dirtiest card games in known space, he was also a cunning and resourceful naval tactician. In some ways he made an odd choice to lead a fleet built around cruisers but Kesh na-Solpan persuaded Chairman Jesslur that a wily officer was always better on the attack than one who had memorised the naval textbook by rote.

As for the ships themselves the corvettes and destroyers had not changed much since the days of the last war. Many individuals ships had actually served in the last war and been modernised in the interim. The Daskall-class destroyers and Damghalla-class corvettes had better armour, shielding, engines and reactors they had before but the weapons had yet to be changed with the railgun still proving the mainstay of the fleet. In fact even the brand new Shoshona-class cruisers relied on the railgun, backed up by plasma thrower batteries. A superior class of laser weaponry had been discovered (the brilliant green hued 'X-Ray lasers') but shortages in rare crystals until after the war left the Yldars relying on their reliable older railguns.

Predictably there was a swirl of interest, both good and bad in how the cruisers performed. Each vessel was eight hundred meters long, twice that of a destroyer and nearly three times that of a corvette and carried a crew of over two thousand. They were in the admittedly biased opinion of merchant princes who hoarded every half-credit 'ruinously' expensive. Even as the war progressed and before any true conclusion could be reached Jesslur had pushed through plans for another cruiser to be built at Kenn Hijal, though at least this one was bound for the Federal Fleet and would thus come out of the shared budget.



Battle of Whaskar.jpg


Suthnar's Armada raid the Glyrran outpost at Whaskar, 2297.

The early months of the war saw raids against isolated Glyrran outposts. The only significant casualties taken in these operations were at Poeuter where the enemy had an armoured starhold. Here during Twelfthmonth 2296 the Kammarian Imperial Fleet captured the Glyrran station at the cost of over a thousand casualties, more than the KIF had suffered during the entire previous war. For the Imperials, universally regarded as backwards and sometimes as cowards it was a cleansing of old ghosts and the 'death ride at Poeuter' won them great praise from their counterparts in the Yldar Star Navy. Now both navies had their scars of honour.

Poeuter aside the other Gylrran systems in the Northern Frontier fell with minimal fuss and by early 2298 the war had moved into a different phase. The Golden Monetary Compact had to recall many of their ships for repair, as even with no full losses the sheer wear and tear of a year and half of war had taken its toll. It was in Sixthmonth 2298 that the enemy made their first serious counterstrike. The great fear of the Golden Monetary Compact was that the Glyrrans would strike with the aid of their partners, the Autocracy of Makaria and the Sovereignty of Yaanus. Fortunately that overwhelming combined offensive never materialised but what did was bad enough. Eight Gylrran destroyers and forty Glyrran corvettes emerged abruptly from the Azax wormhole and opened fire.

The First Battle of Azax was a sprawling, chaotic firefight waged over four days and involving many different fleets. The first to feel the wrath of the Glyrrans was the Swift Star Hunters battlegroup of Kammarian Imperial Fleet. These ships under Admiral Vaxoma had been passing east en-route to repairs when they found themselves in a running battle for their lives. Once again the once mocked Kammarian sailors proved themselves as their elderly and outnumbered destroyers and corvettes held the line until aid could come. They'd pay the price for such heroism with the destruction of the destroyer KSS Xurinzaga and four Imperial corvettes.

Fortunately both the Federal Fleet and Perek's Armada were within range of the emergency holos and both forces came to Vaxoma's call. The space around the wormhole became a maze of debris as destroyed or damaged hulls drifted into the path of new arrivals and weapons fire systems tried to make sense of scores of potential targets. When it was all over and the enemy fled back through the wormhole where the Yldars and Kammarians could not follow they left the wrecks of eleven corvettes. The Golden Monetary Compact had suffered thousands of casualties and many ships were badly damaged but beyond those lost at the start of the battle when Vaxoma fought alone, all the Compact ships would live to fight another day.



glyrran cruisers.jpg


The Glyrran D'Penek-class cruisers, GUN D'Moro and GUN Y'Kanas in the Azax system, 2301.

The First Battle of Azax gave the advantage to the Compact, but in itself it didn't decide the war. In Thirdmonth 2301 the Glyrrans sent two D'Penek-class cruisers, GUN D'Moro and GUN Y'Kanas through the wormhole, most likely on a 'hit and fade' raid to test Yldar defences before retreating. The D'Penek-class as even the Yldars grudgingly admitted were impressive ships. Of similar size to the Shoshona-class they had an arguably superior armament in a mix of X-Ray lasers and disruptors and comparable shielding and armour (though they had inferior computers and engines.)

Fine ships or not the Glyrrans had taken a gamble by sending them out on their own. The Federal Fleet under Admiral Ketrilla was on guard at Azax and they had been reinforced the now completed Federal cruiser YSS Takjam the Memorable. The results were predictably gruesome with Y'Kansas exploding under concentrated fire from the Takjam and the destroyers KSS Xiad and KSS Zidinix. The ship's antimatter reactor went critical and though an attempt was made to abandon ship less than a hundred of the Y'Kanas's two thousand crew made it clear to the escape pods to be picked up as prisoners. Her sister ship, a near crippled wreck with two of decks breached and her guns out of action made a desperate jump to lightspeed and a long journey home.

Whether out of desperation or blind optimism the Glyrrans would make one last try. Four months after the Second Battle of Azax the wormhole was opened a final time and seven destroyers and seventeen corvettes poured out, running straight into the scopes of Perek's Armada. With four cruisers, eight destroyers and ten corvettes Admiral Ralpakin enjoyed a crushing margin of superiority and the result was a slaughter. Four Glyrran destroyers and eleven corvettes were destroyed or scuttled before the ragged survivors retreated home. Yldar casualties were under two hundred and no ship had been lost or even seriously damaged. Ralpakin and everyone under his command knew that the war was over.



Third Battle of Azax.jpg



The cruisers, destroyers and corvettes of Perek's Armada cruise among wrecked Gylrran ships after the Third Battle of Azax, 2301.


The three battles at Azax saw a shift in the way the Free Traders saw the enemy. The first battle, early in the war had been a sharp and closely contested affair. With a little luck on their side the Glyrrans might have won the battle; as it was only the sheer stubbornness of the Kammarians carried the day for the Compact, allowing reinforcements to flow in. First Azax had presented an enemy both cunning and powerful and within weeks work was already began on a series of dramatic holo-thrillers capturing the heroism and sacrifice of the Compact's males and females in uniform. The second battle was a different affair. To Yldar civilians it was a thrilling raid by the enemy, thwarted by the skill and hard work of the federal Fleet. To Naval officers and political leaders it was an inexcusably incompetent risk for the Gylrrans to take and completely erased whatever military mystique the otter-like mammalians had held. Everyone agreed that Third Azax was decisive. By the end the Glyrrans had been thoroughly defanged.

Alongside shifting views on the enemy the war also changed minds about the Kammarians. Many in the Free Traders had not forgotten or forgiven the previous war where it had seemed like the Yldars had bled so the Centralized Kammarian Systems could reap the reward. Now that sentiment had been turned on its head; the Yldar people were perhaps not known for their warmth but there was a sincere swell of gratitude towards their fellow members of the Golden Monetary Pact. Unanimously the merchant princes of the Board voted their thanks to the Kammarian survivors of the war and a new military decoration - the platinum star - was created specifically for them [2].

On the seventeenth day of Seventhmonth 2301 the Glyranns officially requested a peace deal via an unarmed and unmanned messenger drone sent through the wormhole. Jesslur agreed and soon after a delegation of the otterlike mammalians arrived in the Azax system to negotiate. As expected the Gylrrans (and by extension the other parties of the Cosmic Treaty Organisation) agreed to cede all claims in the Northern Frontier to the Yldar Free Traders. In return both sides lifted existing restrictions to merchant traffic, a deal which in fact favoured the Glyrrans as the Yldar were still unable to stabilise a wormhole on their own.

Though it involved far more ships and men than the Rothak war the Yldars had suffered fewer casualties than in the previous clash. Except among the most pacifist elements of the population it had proven a popular war; the Glyrrans, though hardly as well known as the Kobarians or the Rothakans were understood to be an unpleasant and imperialist culture. The existence of an enclave pushing right against the frontiers of Yldar space had been an existential threat.



Post War border 2301.jpg


The new Northern Frontier Border, 2301.


Footnotes:

[1] Technically speaking the war was between the Golden Monetary Compact (the Yldar Free Traders and the Centralized Kammarian Systems) and the Cosmic Treaty Organisation (the Glyrran Union, the Autocracy of Makaria and the Sovereignty of Yaanus.) In practice neither the Makaru nor the Yaanari directly participated in the fighting.

[2] The Yldar Star Navy had an existing award system (sapphire star > ruby star > diamond star) as did the Kammarian Imperial Fleet (silver order > gold order > platinum order). The platinum star was a deliberate fusion of Yldar/Kammarian elements.
 
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What an unpleasant surprise to find oneself so outflanked. And indeed, a simple cost/benefit analysis shows that any cost from a conflict now is miniscule compared to the cost of allowing the Yldar to yield the sector. One can admire xeno culture, and advocate xeno rights, but when it comes to matters commercial the Compact must stand firm.

And so the new cruisers will get their baptisms of fire. It will be very interesting to see how the new ships perform, and how the Federal Navy performs.

Yes, that was my feeling too. The Yldars are xenophiles but they are far from pushovers and the xenophobic and aggressive Glyrrans would not have been pleasant neighbours under the best of circumstances.

The cruisers did well. From a purely aesthetic point of view I think my favourite of the humanoid ship set is the destroyer (at least the non-artillery destroyer), but the cruisers are impressive looking ships without feeling 'bulky' if that makes sense. In some ways they make me think of Star Trek as a cruiser feels like a swiss-army jack of all trades ship that could operate on her own - the Shoshana-class are my D-7s or Constitution-class.

I was almost dissapointed that you do not explain the issue with the refugees. Glad to see that footnote. :)

Anyhow, I find weird that the Glyrran did not secure the wormhole before expanding. o_O

Yeah, I'll cover the increasingly diverse makeup of the 'Yldar' space soon. :)

I'm confused why the Gyrrans failed to secure the wormhole. In-universe I suppose they may have gambled that would definitely lead to war while merely claiming territory west of the wormhole proper would simply make war likely.

Getting through a few more updates and I'm really loving this, RossN! Reading a few chapters in one go (specifically those wild few years when the Yldar discovered they were a) not alone and b) everything they thought they knew was wrong) does so much to— well I don't want to say "humanise", but at the very least bring to life what is an infinitely bizarre galaxy. As others said at the time, imagine what it would have been like to her lived through so much change in only a generation or so. (Though as a 21-year-old in the year 2020, I perhaps have something of an idea already... :p)

Really looking forward to continuing!



I loved this, if only because the idea of an intergalactic Sheraton gives off massive "Lunar Hilton" Kubrick 2001 vibes. :D

Thanks, really glad you are enjoying this! :)

The opening up of the galaxy can be a little overwhelming, especially since the Galactic Community is a thing (and while I haven't really touched on it the GC is very real in this universe.) There is a definite mix of thrilling and bittersweet at going from a space exploration game to more of a space opera game.

Also intergalactic hotels definitely exist in this setting - the Yldars are xenophile capitalists. They like to travel! :)

The ship report was great and I'm glad to hear that we might see some more as the march of technology goes on.

The lack of a strict dividing line between economic, political and naval leadership is really giving an Elizabethen England feel to things... Or maybe I have just been reading too much about Sir Frances Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh recently.

That's an interesting observation. I'd initially seen the Yldars as being like a space age version of the Venetians or the Age of Sail Dutch so Elizabeathen England isn't a million miles away.

What an unfortunate event with the wormhole!

Yeah. Second Stellaris AAR in a row where a wormhole has caused me headaches. At least the Glyrrans are a lot easier to handle than the Unbidden were for the Baviri!

All these various alliances and federations going to war with one another or dealing with unique positions are like something out Ancient Greece or the early Medieval steppes. Which I suppose is fitting for the genre of science fantasy... as well as all the powers involved in this story.

Definitely! As I've said while there are still undiscovered areas on the map and ancient ruins to investigate we've really moved into more a 'war, trade and diplomacy' galaxy. The frontier is a little less infinite at this point.

Let us hope the Glyrrans don't have too many fleets hidden away on their side of the wormhole ready to send through. If they don't, this war should be like a walk in the park.

They actually put up a surprisingly tough fight. Ithink I always had the advantage but if the Kammarians had not directly involved themselves and the Federal Fleet had been unavailable this would have been far harder.

Building a large star fortress at the wormhole? nasty things might come through ...

That might be a good idea, though there are other demands on my fortress 'slots'!
 
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Well now, a thrilling episode detailing events of which myths are made and legends forged. A baptism of fire, and a tempering of ship and sapient - and the Compact itself.
 
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Hm. The AI was not at it's brightest here.
 
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All in all, a very satisfactory outcome. The Yldars get to keep their frontier open and get their hands on some new systems, while the Glyrrans get sent packing with a bloody nose. A shame you were confined to only one side of the wormhole, but on the other hand it effectively guaranteed that the enemy could only reach you through a tight corridor that could be easily reinforced (which goes to show how much of a bad decision it was for the Glyrrans not to claim and fortify the system themselves when they had the chance... but I digress).

Meanwhile, the Yldars and Kammarians continue to grow ever more tightly intertwined -- and with some creditable military achievements under their belt, the Kammarians are certainly due a little more respect now.
 
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Honestly I can't overstate how impressed I am by how "real" you have made a sci-fi AAR feel. The fact it's mostly achieved via small details rather than big info-dumps is a real skill.

The merchants complaining about the cruiser stood out to me, it's the story of every real life navy for centuries. The merchants wanting lots of smaller trade protection ships versus the monarch wanting big impressive behemoths both for wars and prestige. Charles I and his monstrous heavily carved and expensively guilded ship the Sovereign of the Sea jumped right to my mind.

Edit: Oh and I didn't miss the death ride reference either. :p
 
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That was a very engaging retelling of the war. I'm sure, apart from that first battle, it was a dull affair. It could have gone worse of course if the two allies of the Glyrrans had participated, but I guess they couldn't pass through the wormhole, just like you. The Glyrrans really got that technology early. Perhaps they have that origin that they have a wormhole right in their home system?
 
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Long distance, difficult battles, and issues with the allies not always putting forth their weight aside, it could have been worse for the fleet. It could have been like the Baltic Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, where they went all the way around the world only to be obliterated.
 
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An impressive victory, though perhaps helped by opposition ineptitude. It was vital to secure the wormhole though, and push the Glyrrans out of the region.
 
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Quite an impressive victory. And a planet is ready for colonization I see - presumably not by the Yldar themselves. ;)
 
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Always good stuff as usual Ross. War, as the story goes, always tends to open up new frontiers! :eek:
 
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Finally caught up to this after a bit of a hiatus, and the last two wars have been interesting reads. Especially the Yldar-Glyrran conflict (the Wormhole War) was an interesting border skirmish.
 
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Part Thirteen: A brief, yet eventful interlude (2301 to 2309)
Galaxy Map 2306.jpg


The galaxy in 2306. The Golden Monetary Compact is bordered in purple, the Mutual Assistance Pact in red and the Cosmic Treaty Organization in gold.

Part Thirteen: A brief, yet eventful interlude (2301 to 2309)

Cargo Officer Yndana stood waiting in her overly starched olive naval uniform, her purple-blue tongue flickering in and out in a gesture of nervous excitement. Her's was not normally a glamorous job, nor even a well paid one by the standards of the Navy. Cargo officers of various ranks were often regarded by others as a home for the unambitious and unimaginative. Yndana railed against these stereotypes even as she privately agreed with them and despaired over winning her command.

Occasionally though there were compensations. Turning to her junior colleague, a male she instructed: 'Signal the Domannans, we're ready whenever they are.'

There was the now familiar hum and the stacks of black disks in front of them dematerialised in a cerulean swirl of light, leaving behind a cargo hold that was pristine and empty save for the two Yldars.

Yndana allowed herself a moment of awe before she made her report. This was the third and final transfer of disks to the Domannan vessel and she still found the matter transference technology near-magical. However it worked it was centuries in advance to Yldar technology. Even so that technology paled in comparison to the beings that wielded it. There was no viewport in the cargo hold but she didn't need it to picture the huge and exotic vessel they'd made contact with, or the crew glimpsed only in holo transmissions.

Originators!


~~~~


The Riggan Commerce Exchange.jpg


First contact with the Riggan Commerce Exchange, 2304.


The peace of 2301 would last less than a decade but it still allowed the Golden Monetary Pact a moment to catch their breath. The war had delayed many other efforts and though the citizens of the Yldar Free Traders were proud of their victory there was a palpable sentiment to get back to business. Chairman Jesslur authorised a rapid expansion into the old, unsettled Northern Frontier to avoid any other powers trying to use the same tactics as the Glyrrans but he needn't have bothered; merchants, adventurers, and asteroid miners were heading there anyway. During this boom period contact was established with the Riggan Commerce Exchange, a minor but rich lithoid civilisation based around the artificial enclaves. The merchants of the Exchange would prove valuable economic partners - and sometimes economic rivals.

As the war unwound one of the key faces of the conflict disappeared. Admiral Kesh na-Solpan, the Kobarian pirate chief who had become the most powerful and influential figure in civilised space died of old age in 2304. Reaching the age of ninety-three was a rare achievement for a Kobarian but he had always been a rare Kobarian, determined to survive and too proud and stubborn to let death claim him. By the time he passed away in his bed the old marauder had outlived all of the rivals who had driven him into exile. That might not have been as satisfying revenge as vaporising them or kicking them out an airlock but it had its charms.

The passing of Kesh na-Solpan allowed the merchant princes of the Board to claw back a certain authority they'd lost. The Yldar Free Traders was hardly a military dictatorship in 2301 but the traditional lassiez faire form of government took a back seat under the pressures of war. This was the permanent state of tension between a Yldar culture that championed individualism and the entrepreneur and a state that relied on a big navy even in peace time to protect key trade routes and profitable but isolated systems. It was not an issue that ever quite solved, making every budget debate a to-the-death contest between the plutocrats on the Board.

Revealingly the most popular political faction in the Free Traders had always been the Xeno Rights Organization, which had little to no stance on state economics and government regulation (and therefore defaulted to the traditional libertarianism) but was ferociously in favour of good relations with foreign powers and a generous approach to immigration - opening new markets and importing skilled workers. The Yldars had always had a fascination with xenos and this positive, if sometimes patronising, quality had led to the habitats becoming increasingly diverse. Though 'biological' Yldars still made up a majority of the population the habitats were home to billions of Glost-Weherni, Kammarians and other less numerous groups of aliens. In this melting pot many citizens of different species were culturally Yldar; famously many Kammarians in particular who found the stratified conditions on their homeworld stifling had emigrated to the Free Traders space and adopted the meritocratic and capitalist, if sometimes selfish and ruthless Yldar code.

It was in this spirit of enlightened self interest that the Yldars were drawing closer to the Zelvan Interplanetary Empire. The Zelvans, a gnome like race hailing from the galactic north east were not in themselves obvious allies of the Yldars. Like the Kammarians they were a hereditary monarchy but the Zelvans embraced a decidedly materialistic and xenophobic view of the universe. They had evolved alongside the avian Pethulans, a less advanced species who occupied the lowest rungs in Zelvan society. Their region of space had also been home to primitive species like the lithoid Ithills of Samnivik III who had been scattered to the stars by the Zelvans after their planet had been conquered by the Empire. The best that could be said of Zelvan treatment of other races was that they didn't eat them or purge them, but the position of non-Zelvans in the Empire was uncomfortable even in good years.

For many Yldars the Zelvan culture was rather... unpalatable, but there were excellent reasons to pursue a friendship with the squat aliens. Bluntly they were the best market in the north east and profit had always trumped prejudice for most merchant princes (and for the more idealistic plutocrats the prospect of peacefully changing the Zelvan culture from within was a factor.) Then there was the fact that the Zelvans were a counterweight to their common enemy, the Rothak Fire Tribes.

The Rothakans had recovered from their defeat with frightening speed. With rich resources and drawing almost as many immigrants as the Yldars the Rothakans had once again become the power in the northern galaxy. They had poor relations with all of their neighbours but two of those neighbours - the Zelvans and the Uindar Star Hegemony were clearly weaker than the Fire Tribes and it seemed likely the reptilians would win any clash. The Uindars, deeply isolationist refused to ally with anyone despite being bordered by a hungry great power but the Zelvans were pragmatic enough to swallow their pride and look for friends.

The possibility of improving relations with the Rothakans themselves occasionally cropped up in meetings of the Board. Truthfully the ideological divide between the Free Traders and the Fire Tribes was not so vast that diplomatic relations would have been impossible The Rothak religion and Yldar veneration of the Originators were very different, especially given the tendency of 'religious' Yldar to disdain the 'supernatural', but the difference was not a major bone of contention between them. During the war the Yldars had gained a reluctant respect for the Rothakans as warriors. Both sides could have made more of an effort. At the end of the day the rivalry between the Golden Monetary Compact and the Fire Tribes was too strong to bridge the gap. Therefore, the Zelvans and even before the war against the Glyrrans the Yldars had been wooing the distant empire.



Zelvans join the Compact.jpg


The Zelvan Interplanetary Empire joins the Golden Monetary Compact, 2306.


While the Golden Monetary Compact was busy fighting the Glyrrans the rivalry between the Rothakans and the Zelvans had turned into outright war. The Zelvans, weaker to begin with and distracted by internal instability of the kind that had seen the expulsion of the Ithills proved inferior combatants to the zealous Rothakans and in a humiliating peace in 2305 had been forced to cede various mineral rich systems. The weakened Zelvans now begged the Yldars to let them enter the Golden Monetary Compact to prevent themselves dwindling away into irrelevance or imploding into civil war.

At this time the Yldars held the rotating presidency of the Golden Monetary Compact and Chairman Jesslur had excellent relations with the Kammarian Empress. He argued persuasively to let the Zelvans into the Compact, warning that otherwise the Compact would have to face a Rothak hegemony in the east. To his fellow merchant princes he said much the same and floated the idea of establishing a proper merchant branch on Zelvikanna with a dedicated commercial forum. Enlightened self interest carried the day.

One aspect of the increased ties with the Zelvans was that through them some final pieces of the galactic map fell into place. The Zelvans had knowledge of two highly advanced alien civilisations. To the south of the Centralized Kammarian Systems lay a wedge of unclaimed space bordering the Pelsimius Free Union to the west and the Glirr Hierarchy to the east. This poorly understood region had long been rumoured to contain an uncontacted species. Now it seemed the rumours were true. The Domanna Ancients, as they called themselves were not an easy people to talk too. An impossibly ancient race of cyclopean molluscoids the Domannans were almost wilfully enigmatic, forbidding travel through their star cluster. The distant (from the Yldar perspective) plantoid Lilarobius Watchers were equally mysterious, seemingly uninterested in involving themselves in the greater galaxy.

The discovery of two millennia old starfaring species thrilled many Yldars. Sheer distance meant the Lilarobians were out of the picture but the Domannans were close enough to provoke hope - and then frustration. Many Yldars wondered if the molluscoids were linked with the fabled Originators, perhaps were the Originators. Unfortunately the aliens proved impervious to attempts to contact them, refusing to answer even the most mundane questions about their history. As disappointing as this was for many some Yldars saw it as more evidence that they had yet to advance to a level that would allow the ancient aliens to recognise them as equals.



Domanna Ancients request.jpg


The request from the Domanna Ancients, 2308.

In Eleventhmonth 2308 the Domanna Ancients finally made official contact with the Yldars over the holo system. Though they proved no more interested in answering questions they did have an intriguing request that the Free Traders were only to happy to oblige them with.

The resurrection of the long extinct Bothrians, a strange mammalian race that resembled some sort of wingless humanoid bat further strengthened the belief in some quarters that the Domannans were the Originators of old. However further investigation would have to wait until the Domannans deigned to show their interest in other peoples once again.

That same year had seen a political upheaval in the Yldar Free Traders. Jesslur had been confident that he would win a second term as Chairman. Though he had lost some authority when the presidency of the Golden Monetary Compact had reverted to the Kammarians in 2306 he could count many successes. He had won the war against the Gylrrans, he had brought the Zelvans into the Compact and he had even secured a spot for the Free Traders on the newly formed Galactic Council [1].



Formation of the Galactic Council.jpg


The formation of the first Galactic Council in 2308.


Unfortunately for Jesslur the ever fickle merchant princes, delighting in their recovery of status were disinclined to keep a strong leader around. He might become far too used to his position. In the election of 2308 they turned to Haghonona, a career diplomat who had made her name as one of the Yldar representatives to the Golden Monetary Compact. Haghonona was more militant than the merchant princes might have wished, and not young (she was sixty in 2308) but she had one advantage as far as the plutocrats were concerned: she was popular without actually possessing a power base of her own. Haghonona was liked among xenophiles for her service in the Compact that had involved much travel in Kammarian space and even an exotic furlong to the Zelvan Interplanetary Empire. However all this time away left her with scant opportunity to build her fortune or followers back home. She was the perfect Chairwoman - intelligent and capable but too weak to overrule the Board.

Jesslur did not immediately disappear into retirement. He was three years younger than his replacement and as bitter as the sting of defeat was he was still personally popular - had the Yldar Free Traders been a democracy rather than an oligarchy he likely would have been swept back to power. As it was the former leader took time to adjust to his retirement before accepting a new position in Haghonona's old position as envoy to the Golden Monetary Compact.

While all this was going on trouble had returned to the east where the Rothak Fire Tribes and the Irenic Kazam Compact had signed a mutual defence pact and the Rothakans had invaded the Uindar Star Hegemony. The imperial court on Zelvikanna was terrified at the thought of being partitioned between the far stronger powers to their west and south and saw only one hope: go to war while the bulk of the Rothak fleet was distracted. At the beginning of Sixthmonth 2309 the Zelvan Emperor alerted his counterparts in the west that he intended to go to war.

The ageing Empress Zarax of Kamdor was willing to support the Zelvans to the marrow but the Free Traders were less united. The Yldars were not prepared for war, and certainly not a war that promised to be bloodier and longer than any they had yet experienced. A loud cohort of merchant princes were of a mind to refuse. Chairwoman Haghonona had to remind them that even if the Free Traders stayed aloof the Kammarians and Zelvans would fight - and perhaps lose. Where would the Golden Monetary Compact be then? It was an unaswerable argument.

For the second time in less than four decades the Yldars found themselves at war with the Rothak Fire Tribes.



War 2309.jpg


The beginning of the Second Golden Monetary Compact-Rothak Fire Tribes War, Sixthmonth 2309.

Footnotes:

[1] The Galactic Council brought considerable prestige but much like the Galactic Community itself it held less power that might have been apparent at first glance. By the start of the Twenty Fourth Century most of the major galactic powers were part of one of three interstellar federations - the Golden Monetary Compact, the Mutual Assistance Pact and the Cosmic Treaty Organization. The omnipresence of the federations tended to meet most political horse trading and foreign affairs went on at that level rather than in the Galactic Community. Certainly the Yldars felt the Golden Monetary Compact was more important, dedicating two envoys to the federation as against one for the Galactic Community.
 
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I'll plan on covering the Galactic Community and the Fallen Empires in much more depth in appendixes later on. As you can see other events in the galaxy intervened before I could spend much time with them!

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Well now, a thrilling episode detailing events of which myths are made and legends forged. A baptism of fire, and a tempering of ship and sapient - and the Compact itself.

An excellent way of putting it. While there will be greater conflicts I think this clash will be remembered by the Yldars and Kammarians.

Hm. The AI was not at it's brightest here.

Perhaps, but it happens and I found it interesting all the same. :)

All in all, a very satisfactory outcome. The Yldars get to keep their frontier open and get their hands on some new systems, while the Glyrrans get sent packing with a bloody nose. A shame you were confined to only one side of the wormhole, but on the other hand it effectively guaranteed that the enemy could only reach you through a tight corridor that could be easily reinforced (which goes to show how much of a bad decision it was for the Glyrrans not to claim and fortify the system themselves when they had the chance... but I digress).

Meanwhile, the Yldars and Kammarians continue to grow ever more tightly intertwined -- and with some creditable military achievements under their belt, the Kammarians are certainly due a little more respect now.

Yes, much agreed. It certainly has changed how I look at the Kammarians and the impact in-universe must be much greater!

Honestly I can't overstate how impressed I am by how "real" you have made a sci-fi AAR feel. The fact it's mostly achieved via small details rather than big info-dumps is a real skill.

The merchants complaining about the cruiser stood out to me, it's the story of every real life navy for centuries. The merchants wanting lots of smaller trade protection ships versus the monarch wanting big impressive behemoths both for wars and prestige. Charles I and his monstrous heavily carved and expensively guilded ship the Sovereign of the Sea jumped right to my mind.

Edit: Oh and I didn't miss the death ride reference either. :p

Wow, thank you very much. I do strive for realism and naval warfare (including 'space' naval warfare) is a real interest of mine. An excellent point about bigger ships too - as I think I've said I have a soft spot for the destroyers even if they are no longer optimal warships.

That was a very engaging retelling of the war. I'm sure, apart from that first battle, it was a dull affair. It could have gone worse of course if the two allies of the Glyrrans had participated, but I guess they couldn't pass through the wormhole, just like you. The Glyrrans really got that technology early. Perhaps they have that origin that they have a wormhole right in their home system?

Thanks! :) Possibly a different war would have been more exciting to play but I enjoyed writing about this one!

As for the Glyrrans I'll have to check again but I had thought they simply had a default origin.

Long distance, difficult battles, and issues with the allies not always putting forth their weight aside, it could have been worse for the fleet. It could have been like the Baltic Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, where they went all the way around the world only to be obliterated.

In a way it was - except the Yldars were not playing the part of the Russians!

An impressive victory, though perhaps helped by opposition ineptitude. It was vital to secure the wormhole though, and push the Glyrrans out of the region.

Very true (on both accounts!)

Quite an impressive victory. And a planet is ready for colonization I see - presumably not by the Yldar themselves. ;)

True, though i have to admit I've been trying to avoid colonising planets - given the cultural issues the Yldars have it would feel a little out of place.

Always good stuff as usual Ross. War, as the story goes, always tends to open up new frontiers! :eek:

So it seems! :)

Finally caught up to this after a bit of a hiatus, and the last two wars have been interesting reads. Especially the Yldar-Glyrran conflict (the Wormhole War) was an interesting border skirmish.

Thanks! It was a weird but interesting clash!
 
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