The Hierarchy of Urth: A History Told By Others

[Wolfgang I]

Foreword
At The Mating Pond

Dear reader did you ever ask yourself how the Hierarchy of Urth became the most powerful starfaring nation in the galaxy?
If you bought this upload your probably did.
If you are into xeno porn you should ask for a refund because this is not what you are looking for.

But first let me introduce myself!
My name is Hans Gruber a human from Sol III I'm a professor of galactic history at the university of Vienna.
You might not have heard of my people but what few scholars know is that humans were one of the first species explorers from Urth observed.

I decided to study the history of the Misur after finding this document on a datastick gifted to me by a visiting scholar from the university of Patrons Gift on First Uplift.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2217)

The Misur do not consider history important but they and their client species tend to collect and preserve lots of data to which I was granted access to.

There are no records from before the year 2200 however.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2200)

In its early years the nation of the Misur was called the Technocracy of Urth.
The Administrator of the Technocracy at the time they discovered warp travel was Intol Pentak.
Few things are know about him except the fact that he was especially successful at the mating pond.
If you find this thought amusing you need to know that the all life on Urth revolves around those ponds.
Misur biology only allows for consensual mating and fertilization and as Misur value knowledge the most those ponds are sites of debate and discourse and only the most charismatic and learned Misur will find a mate willing to breed.

The ponds are also the reason why only few Misur, mainly explorers and scientist, ever left the planet because only deviants would agree to mate at an artificial pond on another planet.

From they very beginning of known Misur history robots did the heavy lifting in their society and that would not change until the first uplift.

 

[stnylan]

I will confess to having chortled at the small print right at the start. That was a nice touch.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 1
Destiny and Faith

The Natfankan are a well known species as few others are as numerous.
However when the first ship from Urth arrived at their homeworld they had not even mastered fire.
But even in this primitive state they approached Misur probes with curiosity and solved simple puzzles with natural aptitude.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2201)

Vilth I is now known as First Uplift and a center of learning and research and the Natfankans are proud clients of the Misur to this day. But lets not skip too far ahead.

Most Misur did not believe in higher powers even at that point of their history and for those that did it was usually a private affair.
However there were those that thought differently.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2201)

In response to this unexpected threat the fleet of the Technocracy was expanded and the fleets of the fanatics were hunted down and destroyed.
The alien technology the fanatics had discovered was used to improve the fleet of the Technocracy.
However it would take many years until ships that could carry the mighty particle lance were built.
This early conflict made the Misur realize that a decent fleet was necessary and pirates and hostile spaceborne creatures learned to avoid Misur space in the following years.

One tale that survives from these days is that the fanatics attacked even peaceful Tiyanki groups and paid a high price for their transgressions against nature.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2211)

To this day those that kill Tiyanki forfeit their lives and are hunted without mercy in Hierarchy space.

 

[stnylan]

I don't think I've seen the AI attack Tiyanki before - they probably have, just I have never noticed.

 

[Wolfgang I]

I don't think I've seen the AI attack Tiyanki before - they probably have, just I have never noticed.

Empire spawned pirates and cultists seem to be hostile to every other entity in the game. They usually pay for that behaviour though as Tiyanki groups are strong enough to kill their fleets.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 2
First Contact

From the archives of Urth (Year 2215)

Concurrently with the conflict with the Temple of Unity the Technocracy expanded its exploration fleet and focused on discovery.
Resource rich systems were secured with armed outposts and research focused on genetics and robotics.

A few years ago I was granted to privilege of talking to an eyewitness of this first contact.
A visiting painter and expert on Immutharan history Portocolsynth X14kk9 stayed a few nights in my house during zer visit to Sol III.

Portocolsynth X14kk9 does not know how old ze is as ze underwent regular memory wipes every 210 years until ze was freed from servitude and zer earliest memories are from around 2172.

When the Conservers contacted the Technocracy ze was the one who initiated to transmission because of standing orders to contact any species that approached Immutharan space.
The Immutharan on duty logged out of the game he was playing for a whole 37 minutes.
An unprecedented event in the memory of Portocolsynth X14kk9.

The Immutharans quickly assumed a patronizing attitude towards the Technocracy as both the charisma of Intol Pentak and the materialist ethos of the Technocracy pleased those few Immutharans that had any interest in the real world.

The Misur were deeply impressed by Immutharan technology but private correspondence between Misur diplomats reveals that they were shocked when they discovered that the robot servants of the Immutharan were sapient and unhappy about their state of servitude.

Portocolsynth X14kk9 gave me one of zes paintings as a gift when ze departed.
Titanic Beast Feasting is a haunting piece.
The beast, part of the invasion force sent by the Hierarchy, is feasting on the remains of Immutharan soldiers as the remains of the Immutharan fleet rain down on Font of Knowledge.

 

[stnylan]

That is a rather haunting, yet comic, reflection.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 3
The Art of Peace and Appeasement

The Technocracy achieved FTL flight a bit later than most of its contemporaries and the lack of early colonies did not help them in regard to military might.
However a combination of charismatic leadership, shrewd diplomacy and the occasional lopsided trade deal ensured the independence of the Technocracy.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2216-19)

The Misurs first contact with a young star-faring power was with my peoples former overlords in the year 2216 only a few years before the Giranshu enlightened humanity.
The Human Polity is probably unknown to you as our stint as a protectorate was short-lived and we were quickly integrated into the Sovereign Giranshu Suns.

Other contacts followed, most of them friendly.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2220-30)

By 2240 the independence of the Technocracy was guaranteed by several powers.
From the archives of Urth (Year 2239)

During this age of war the Technocracy stayed out of all conflicts. In fact the Inoculation war which saw the end of the Mechazur Continuum was the only offensive war ever started by the Misur.

These guarantees were indeed necessary but backed by such mighty empires the Technocracy stayed independent and refused all demands of subjugation.

 

[Arithmetician]

Hans Gruber, LOL!


Yeah, I was pretty surprised on my (aborted) run when I found out the Temple had particle lances.

I do like the different style of this AAR.

 

[stnylan]

So things were rather nervous for them for a while by the sounds of it.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 4
Bots, Clients and Minions

The Misur are not xenophobic but they are not overly fond of other organic species nevertheless.
They never signed any migration treaties, turned all refuges aside and for a long time only uplifted client races and machines intelligences were allowed to live in the Technocracy.

After uplifting the arthropoid Natfankans the Technocracy starting to expand rapidly.
The word for the Natfankans used by the Misur is difficult to translate and impossible to pronounce for most humanoids but "Client" is the word that has been used in other publications.
The original is a bit less flattering but it is an acceptable translation.

Natfankans are natural intellectuals and the labs they work in are renowned for their scientific breakthroughs.
Natfankans are allowed to serve as generals and admirals in the forces of the Hierarchy and Ul-Ta a Natfankan female commanded the Voidwardens, the main fleet of the Technocracy and later the Hierarchy, for more than 150 years.
She retreated from battle only once in her lifetime, against the stellar devourer, and the engineers responsible for the design of the auto-cannon cruiser were punished severely.
Ul-Ta later returned with particle lance battleships and destroyed the devourer over the skies of Third Uplift.
From the archives of Urth (Year 2265)

Robots and later droids worked the farms and mines of the Technocracy and some colonies on hot and dry planets were founded as pure droid mining colonies.
The third colony of the Technocracy was settled by droids which contained the memories of a long dead race.
From the archives of Urth (Year 2231)

The sharp-toothed Mect-Pucx were uplifted shortly after the Technocracy of Urth changed its name into the Hierarchy of Urth.
The "Minions" which is a literal translation of the Natfankan word for them are excellent plant operators and run most power planets in the Hierarchy.
As they evolved on a cold world unlike the Misur and the Natfankans they settled dozens of such worlds for the Hierarchy and they are as numerous as the Natfankans.

The third species the Misur uplifted was a disappointment to the Hierarchy and none of them have ever left their homeworld.
Because of that we know nothing about.

 

[Arithmetician]

I must say, I continue to like the style of this AAR... concise yet well written! I think I could learn a bit from this one, though it's kind of awkward for me to change the style of existing AARs mid-way through, so I guess I'll wait for my next one.

 

[stnylan]

The picture of the Misur grows with every update.

 

[Wolfgang I]

I must say, I continue to like the style of this AAR... concise yet well written! I think I could learn a bit from this one, though it's kind of awkward for me to change the style of existing AARs mid-way through, so I guess I'll wait for my next one.

Thanks! I'm mainly writing this to get my min/maxitis under control... the gaia world next door was pretty difficult to resist. In a normal game I would have colonized it asap.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 5
Please get in line for the upgrade! (Rollback option not included)

The forties and fifties of the 23 century were a time of war for most of the galaxy.

Some wars changed the face of the galaxy.
The collective gestalt consciousnesses of the Ix'Idar Star Collective was snuffed out and its drones were taken over by the Bothrian Entity.
It is said that the Ix'Idar drones did not even miss a single step that day.

Other wars changed only the life of the downtrodden for a few years as when United Zaanami Coaltion was forced to stop committing atrocities.

Meanwhile the Hierarchy focused its research on cybernetics and robotics and in the year 2253 they finished the cybernetic conversion project.
Unlike many other events in the history of the Hierarchy this news spread with the speed of an FTL transmission.
The rumors about loyalty circuits started shortly afterwards.
They have never been proven but such a small minority ruling over such a vast start nation is at least a bit suspicious.
The tales of forced assimilation refugees told in later years are however definitely true as even spiritualists were forced to undergo the procedure.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2253)

But the Misur did not stop at that.
A few months after that breakthrough sapient machines started to appear on the worlds of the Hierarchy.
Synths remain the most populous species in the Hierarchy to this day and some say that the Misur treat them better than their organic clients. (only because residence is not an option for synths though )

From the archives of Urth (Year 2255)

But even such gifted scientists made mistakes.
From the archives of Urth (Year 2255)

However the Misur paid reparations to the Haspalv of Gluggasch post-enlightenment and such invasive observation practices were forbidden during the Chancellorship of Cox after the Xeno Justice Organisation campaigned for it.

 

[stnylan]

It was all a charitable endeavour!

 

[Arithmetician]

Why do the Spiritualists resist? You only seek to raise the quality of life, for all members of your Empire.

 

[Wolfgang I]

Part 6
It's not the fall the kills you.

The first war of the Hierarchy was the Jibru Holy War To Unsully Prophets's Retreat.
Just like any other sensible star-faring nation the Hierarchy treaded lightly when the ancients powers of the galaxy were involved.
But it was not respect that inspired that behavior and they even refused demands by them if possible.
The enigmatic observers were not allowed to take Misur from Urth for example.
The fleet of the Hierarchy became the 2nd strongest fleet in the galaxy by 2280 at which point the Misur stopped treating the ancients with respect.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2283)

The Client Nest 12 conflict as it was called in Misur transmissions of the era was a short one.
The outcome of the battle of Soiu shocked the entire galaxy as the fleet of the Jibru Protectors was lost with all hands.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2284)

Most Jibru planets were only occupied for a few years by the forces of the Hierarchy and I have visited the beautiful worlds of the Jubri Confederacy myself.
Only the former home system of the Jibru remains under direct control of the Hierarchy to this day.
Two Jibru planets remained independent after the first war but the foolish Protectors attacked the Hirarchy again a few years later which was their undoing.

At first the Misur considered displacing the Jibur from their worlds but Intol Pentak himself, long since retired from active politics, campaigned for their integration.
I was granted access to the personal logs of Ul-Ta herself and she mentions being visited by the Intol Pentak himself during her post war mourning period as two of her sons were lost with the Dreadnought during the battle of Soiu.
Not even the respect and veneration we humans have for our Giranshu enlighteners is comparable to what she must have felt when the one who ruled when her people they were uplifted entered her cabin on board of her flagship in orbit of Urth.
After hearing her tale of death and violence he went back down to Urth, it is not known what he did or said but shortly afterwards the talk of forced displacement stopped and the assimilation of the Jibru began.
Some old Jibru say displacement would have been more merciful but most Jibru live happy and long lives nowadays.

Shortly after the war against the Jibru the Hierarchy started mocking the Immutharan Conservers openly.
The Immutharan Conservers, in their arrogance, decelerated war shortly afterwards.
The Immutharan fleet was cut to pieces shortly after into undocked and the Conservers surrender quickly.
The clear goal of the Misur was to free all synths under Immutharan control and a synth free Immutharan rump state remains to this day.
Most Immutharans integrated quickly into the society of the Hierarchy, although some say only after the software of their implants was updated.

From the archives of Urth (Year 2298)

 

[stnylan]

But of course, how could the assimilated be anything other than happy at their newfound incorporation?

 

[Arithmetician]

And the stage is set for a new era.