United in Purity

[Alex Borhild]

United in Purity
A [modded] Stellaris 2.2 AAR

Game created: 11 February 2019

Ethos: Fanatic Xenophobe Egalitarian
Authority: Democratic

Inspirations include: Recent American politics (2016-present), fanatic xenophobe democracies encountered in previous Stellaris games

Spoiler: Mod list

Spoiler: Game settings

Expecting an alien race to unite their planet as a constitutional republic a la the United States is... probably implausible, if I'm feeling generous. Also, the next expansion has recently been announced, so you know what that means- time for me to start another AAR!

The 2018 US Congressional mid-term elections might have been what inspired me to play a game of Stellaris with some electoral role-playing, but other recent elections (e.g. the Brexit referendum, Catalonia independence referendum, and Kurdistan independence referendum) might also have inspired me. Of course, it's also possible that some AAR I read on these forums gave me the idea. We can only hope that more involved internal politics come to Stellaris one day. For now, at least we have AARs, right?

1: An Ancient Enemy (? - 2200)
2: The Fellowship (2201-2205)
3: Exploration and Election (2200-2205)
4: Losses and Gains (2205-2210)
5: The People Speak (2210)
6: Expanding Operations (2210-2216)
7: made_you_look.gif
8: Working Title
9: Whats_Up.doc
10: Beating a Deceased Beast of Burden
11: [CLASSIFIED]
12: [REDACTED]
13: Where We're Going, We Won't Need Titles
14: Wouldn't you like to know too!​

 

[Alex Borhild]

1
An Ancient Enemy​

The Mishar Union was not the first inter-governmental organization to exist on the ocean world of Mitra. There were less successful organizations in previous centuries that, in spite of their stated purpose, failed to prevent major conflicts, but their failures laid the groundwork for the eventual success of the Union.

Faster-than-light travel was, for centuries, thought to be impossible by the Mishar scientific mainstream. As with science and religion throughout Mishar history, there were various original thinkers who charted their own courses and invented fringe theories that included, among others, the so-called “warp drive” and “wormhole modulation” that were popular in fiction, but most physicists did not take seriously after research proved unsuccessful. This changed when a late 22nd century accident resulted in the discovery of the so-called “hyperlane network” and, after furious years of investment, research, and development, the first “hyperdrives” were built and tested.

Mishar astronomers have determined that the Mituhar system is near the edge of the galaxy.

Meanwhile, the first true planetary government was taking shape on Mitra. Elected representatives, most prominently future Union President Vash na-Ilper (born 2165), successfully argued that only a united world government (“a union of all Mishar”) would be able to marshal the resources needed for interstellar travel and increased investment in space exploration and exploitation. Furthermore, in the unlikely event of contact with aliens, it would be best to present a united front that would be immune to alien attempts to divide and conquer by turning the world powers against each other.

The 54 widely recognized states of Mitra united into a single Mishar Union. Previous international organizations had featured shorter terms for their leaders, but due to these leaders commonly being re-elected to multiple terms, the founders of the Union decided to set the length of the presidential term office to 10 years. The term of office for the Union’s legislature was the subject of much discussion and negotiation, but the final number agreed upon was 5 years. In contrast to previous international organizations, the Union decided upon a bicameral world legislature- the Union Council, where each state would have 2 representatives, and the Chamber of Representatives, which was instead based on population.

Vash na-Ilper, who had been a leader in the negotiations to form the Union, was elected president at the age of 35. The exploration vessel Oratrex, commanded by Sash na-Ibban (born 2168), was the first Mishar ship to enter a hyperlane and its crew were the first Mishar to leave the Mituhar system, as well as the first to see a black hole- the Uzhab Vortex, which was one of the closest ‘stars’ to Mitra.

It was determined that both the Yndynth and Shy’lyee systems (two of the four closest systems to Mituhar) contained habitable planets that could be inhabited by Mishar. The third planet of the Yndynth system, where the first extra-Mitran life was discovered, was extremely similar to Mitra, in that it also was mostly covered with water. However, unlike Mitra and Yndynth III, which were both more than 90% ocean by area, the surface of Shy’lyee II was a mere 32% ocean.

On Mishar, the newly united scientific community was eager for every byte of data transmitted by the scientists exploring the neighboring systems. Some were dreaming of the profits that could be made, and there was discussion (both within and outside the Union government) of establishing colonies on these habitable planets. The first major challenge faced by President na-Ilper and his administration, however, would be the return of an ancient enemy.

 

[Ol' Johnny]

The joke update list amused me.

Anyway this looks interesting, I look forward to seeing how things play out for the Mishar Union!

 

[Macavity116]

Off to an interesting start. And I wholeheartedly agree: Stellaris needs more in the way of internal political actions.

 

[Alex Borhild]

Ol' Johnny: I hoped someone would appreciate the joke update list. Thank you!
Macavity116: Thank you! I'm all in favor of CK2 or Victoria in space! personally, but I've heard rumors that some people wouldn't be interested in that. To each their own, I guess.

2
The Fellowship
(2201-2205)​

Faith in higher powers has a long history on Mitra. Several hundred years before the first Mishar left Mitra’s atmosphere, a group of clergy and their devoted followers separated from the established religions of the time and declared themselves “a fellowship of true believers.”

The princes of the early Gunpowder Age were not receptive to the troublemakers and warmly welcomed this new religion with fire and steel, among other instruments of oppression. After several mass executions the Fellowship fled into the shadows, and were responsible for several terrorist attacks and atrocities over the ensuing centuries. While the Fellowship itself remained silent, evidence of its involvement in attacks gradually declined to roughly once a generation over the centuries. This decline continued into the modern age, and the Fellowship had been quiet for several decades before the formation of the Union. Early in Vash na-Ilper’s first term, it was discovered that many Fellowship agents had infiltrated the Union Armed Forces and diverted resources to construction of a small fleet of starships. Once this was revealed, the forces sent to arrest the Fellowship agents and shut down their illicit shipyards were greeted by the sight of the cultist vessels leaving Mitra’s surface and departing for Pakon, the second planet from Mituhar A and B, the binary stars at the center of the Mituhar system.

The three ships of the 1st Expeditionary Fleet, the entirety of the Mishar Union Space Force, engaged the cultist vessels Unyielding Faith, Holy Avatar, and Divine Fury. The Fellowship commander, Kesh na-Woter (2157-2201), was killed when his flagship Unyielding Faith was destroyed. Before his reappearance commanding the Fellowship fleet, he had been known as a promising candidate for command in the Union Space Force, though he had most recently been appointed to a planetside logistical position rather than command of a warship in the Space Force. During the battle, the cultist ship Divine Fury was disabled and after a fierce boarding action, several prisoners were taken.

Their interrogation revealed that the Fellowship’s connections were deeper and more thorough than initially believed, resulting in mass arrests and seizure of all known Fellowship assets. However, several of the cultist ships had escaped and the leadership of the Fellowship had disappeared. Sensors indicated faint traces of interstellar travel to several outlying systems that had not yet been visited by Mishar ships.


On 2202.5.1 Vash na-Febor (born 2167) was given command of the 1st Expeditionary Fleet. He had already been the commander of the Datrex, the first warship in the Space Force, since its construction, and had been the de facto commander of the 1st Expeditionary Force during the battle against the Fellowship over Pakon the year before.

While exploration of the surrounding systems continued, President na-Ilper successfully persuaded Congress to increase the military budget and vote in favor of expanding the Space Force. More warships were built and the Avotrex and Implar classes were designed (joining the original Iritrex-class) to combat and defeat the Fellowship once and for all. Several years would pass before the next battle against Fellowship forces occurred in 2205, several months after the first mid-term elections for the Union Congress.

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

Interesting first few updates and ideas! I shall keep an eye on this. (And yes, the update list amused me as well.)

 

[LWE]

At least, the Mishar are not Fanatic Purifiers.

 

[stnylan]

I wonder ... I wonder just how far they may stray from their home and from where they began.

 

[Ol' Johnny]

I remember when I got that event with my god-emperor of turtles species. Made for an interesting story at the very least.

 

[Alex Borhild]

Henry v. Keiper: Thank you!
LWE: True. But for want of a nail... Haha. Perhaps a future incarnation (incAARnation?) will follow the road not (yet) taken by Mishar history?
stnylan: An interesting question to contemplate! Hopefully some of those answers may be revealed by future updates. Unfortunately, this update may not be particularly informative on that front.
Ol' Johnny: I've seen this event chain before, but it was back when the pre-made Scyldari Confederacy were pacifist materialist xenophiles instead of pacifist spiritualist xenophiles, as they've been for a while- possibly since before 2.0, but unfortunately I don't remember. It certainly makes for a good story!

3
Exploration and Election
(2200-2205)​

After more than two centuries of Mishar living in space, the Mituhar system had already been surveyed before Vash na-Ilper’s inauguration. Of course, prior to the development of the hyperdrive most of the surveying had been carried out by automated probes, but after the construction of the science vessel Oratrex, its commanding officer Sash na-Ibban (born 2168) had tested its systems and crew by conducting a shakedown cruise to the outer planets. Shortly after Vash na-Ilper took office, the Oratrex departed for the Uzhab Vortex system and discovered large concentrations of dark matter. Theoretical physicists back on Mishar were ecstatic at first, though nobody was quite sure what the applications of dark matter would be and most people decided it was a problem for future engineers.


Later that year the science vessel Fiplar was completed. Orsh na-Karan (born 2166), a famous aerospace engineer and spacecraft designer, was given command and ordered to survey the Yndynth system, where the first non-Mitran life was discovered on the oceanic third planet of the system, which boasted low gravity and unusual currents, but was otherwise similar to Mitra.

In addition, on one island na-Karan reported finding ancient wreckage and signs of advanced technology, including what appeared to be automated defenses, but only a single life form, if the long-range infrared scans were correct.

President na-Ilper, after consulting various scientific experts and leading military figures, advised na-Karan to avoid the area and continue surveying the system.

In the Shy’lyee system, Sash na-Ibban found that the second planet of the system was habitable and had oceans of liquid water, but unlike Mishar or Yndynth III its surface area was approximately 68% water instead of over 90% water.

After surveying the Yndynth system, Orsh na-Karan and the Fiplar had moved on to survey the Inthasten system, where artifacts from the ancient Yuht Empire were found.

Scientists estimated the Yuht, large arthropod-like aliens, had been active approximately six million years ago. On Inthasten III, where the artifacts had been found, na-Karan had also found strange growths that didn’t appear to match the native life, which research revealed to be an invasive xenofungus of unknown origin.

Orsh na-Karan studied the M-class star Inthasten and, after finishing the survey of the Inthasten system, set course for the trinary system at the other end of a hyperlane on the edge of the system, where long-range sensors had indicated traces of interstellar travel.

Shortly before the end of 2204, the Fiplar arrived in the Wypumsue system, where a Fellowship fleet was identified, including one ship of unfamiliar design. As soon as na-Karan reported the Fellowship vessels, two warships were ordered from the Mituhar shipyard, though only the Iritrex-class ship Itaplar would be complete before the mid-term elections. The Avotrex-class Ertrex would, however, be complete shortly after the mid-terms.

The creators of the Mishar Union had decided on representative democracy, as an extension of previous international organizations to form a true world government. A bicameral legislature, consisting of the Union Council and the Union Chamber of Representatives, was set up, and after much negotiation the membership of the Council was set at each state on Mitra having two representatives for a total of 108 seats, while the Chamber of Representatives would consist of directly elected representatives in proportion to the population. Based on the late 2190s estimate of the global population being approximately 8 billion Mishar and the observation by political scientists of a legislature’s lower house generally being close to the cube root of the population, the size of the Union Chamber of Representatives was set at 2065 seats. Some thought this number was too large, but ultimately it proved more popular than either the minimum plan of 216 seats or the maximum of 5400 (never mind other plans that never reached serious consideration or formal proposal).

The mid-term election campaign of 2205 was officially non-partisan, though the victors did fall into three distinct ideological camps. The egalitarians won control of the Council and Chamber from the xenophobes, winning 54 and 1033 seats respectively. The xenophobes came in second, despite the ongoing Fellowship threat, and the appearance of pacifist candidates was also a surprise to some. The pacifists favored economic development over military expansion, naturally, but they argued that the Fellowship did not pose a major threat to Mishar security due to their fleeing to distant space and the relative imbalance of numbers and resources available to the Union and Fellowship.

2205 mid-term election results:
Union Council - 108 seats

1. Egalitarians - 54 seats
2. Xenophobes - 50 seats
3. Pacifists - 4 seats

Union Chamber of Representatives - 2065 seats

1. Egalitarians - 1033 seats
2. Xenophobes - 953 seats
3. Pacifists - 79 seats

 

[stnylan]

Talk about a finely balanced legislative chamber. Only a bare pluarily in the Council, and a the smallest of majorities in the Chamber. The Pacificists are in an enviable political situation

 

[Specialist290]

This has been an enjoyable read so far. Following

My long years of experience with certain other strategy games tell me that nothing that involves xenofungus has ever ended well.

 

[Alex Borhild]

stnylan: Very true! In hindsight, it would be interesting to have kept that in mind if I wanted to engage in more political roleplaying- maybe I can include that in future politicking, like writing about a xenophobe-pacifist alliance to cut the fleet construction budget or something.

Specialist290: Thank you! Speaking of xenofungus, I've been considering a Stellaris game inspired by a certain faction from another science fiction strategy game- the environmentalist aspect might be easier to figure out in this game than the mind-worm domestication, though. The worm loves us, and we love the worm? The zro must flow? I'm thinking about ideas for my next Stellaris AAR, in any event.

It's been a while (about 6 months since the last update, apparently!), but for now I think I'd like to finish this before possibly beginning a new AAR after Federations comes out (and some mods are updated accordingly).

4
Losses and Gains
(2205-2210)
​

The second battle against the Fellowship occurred in the trinary Wypumsue system.

The Union 1st Expeditionary Fleet, consisting of 8 warships under the command of Vash na-Febor, was faced by 4 Fellowship vessels under the command of Vika na-Ilben. In addition to the 3 “Dagger-class” ships identical to previously encountered cultist ships, there was an additional ship of an unfamiliar design, later identified as the “Righteous-class battleship” in files recovered from wreckage after the battle. In the resulting battle, all Fellowship vessels were destroyed, but the MUS Batrex (an Iritrex-class corvette) was lost.

The 1st Expeditionary Fleet returned to Mituhar Station for repairs while scientist Orsh na-Karan began his survey of the Wypumsue system.


Sash na-Ibban continued his exploration of the Shodross system, and the appearance of a comet in the skies of Mitra was taken as a bad omen by most of the population.

The Geody system had been identified as a possible Fellowship hideout, and sure enough once Sash na-Ibben arrived in system Fellowship vessels were identified.

The 1st Expeditionary Fleet was ordered to Geody to defeat the cultists, and the three Dagger-class vessels commanded by Sash na-Forkan were destroyed without losing a single ship.

Sash na-Ibban was ordered to Yndynth III to investigate the alien life signature found among the wreckage. After attempts at remote communication failed, a landing party was greeted by deployed defenses and an alien holdout from an ancient war, which he apparently believed was still being fought.

Sash na-Ibban fired on the alien, but was killed by a reactivated defense turret and his body was carried back to the ship while the rest of the party investigated. One soldier found a strange glowing object which was broken down for parts.

Pova na-Febor (born 2171) was given command of the Oratrex. In the Aegeus system, Orsh na-Karan found signs of precursor activity on the eighth planet. Investigation of the precursor signs revealed areas excavated by the Yuht that appeared to be laboratories and were full of strange technology, including one room that housed a “singularity drive” and strange machinery of mysterious purpose.

Orsh na-Karan and his crew were ordered to conduct further research in the hopes of further discoveries.


The 2210 election campaign began with public relations efforts to raise interest in new colonies and increase support for President Vash na-Ilper’s reelection. Before this campaign began, polling had suggested that each of the 4 likely candidates had the support of about 25% of the electorate, but polls conducted after the campaign began showed that the messaging, thus far, had been a success, as na-Ilper’s support increased to 40% in the polls.

President na-Ilper’s opponents who declared their candidacy included Governor Sash na-Ledir (born 2166), Director of Physics Research Suna na-Filvan (born 2163), and Orsh na-Karan (born 2166), commander of the science ship Fiplar.

Less than a month before the Union presidential election was due to be held, the colony ship Ekaplar landed on Yndynth III and the colony of Veriban was established. This would be the first Mishar colony on another world.

 

[Specialist290]

Glad to see you back, Alex

The Mishar are quickly learning that the galaxy is a dangerous place indeed.

 

[stnylan]

Looking forward to seeing more

 

[Alex Borhild]

Specialist290: Thank you! It certainly is a dangerous place, which is why all Mishar should unite against the theoretical possibility of the Alien threat! Or the Fellowship. Whatever works, I guess.
stnylan: Good! I should hope so.

This seems like a non-update, if only because this entire update has very little basis in the game and no associated screenshots, but I wrote this over the last couple days after realizing it had been about a week since my last update. Originally this update was going to be a brief description of the 2210 elections and the following few years, then I accidentally wrote all this and decided maybe this was enough for one update.

5
The People Speak
The Elections of 2210
​

One of the contested points of negotiation during the formation of the Mishar Union was the allowed length of election campaigns. Mishar history contained examples of anywhere between a few days to several years passing between the initiation of election campaigns and the associated election. Despite some arguments that brief campaign seasons might interfere with the voters being able to decide what candidate to support, ultimately 3 months was settled on as a suitable length to allow a balance between candidates campaigning and an attempt (however nominal) to avoid election fatigue.

President na-Ilper commenced his re-election campaign with promises to increase space mining and touting the benefits to all Mishar from expanding space mining, including tax incentives, expanded investment opportunities, streamlining regulations, reducing material costs, and generally painting investment in space mining as an investment in the current and future wealth of all Mishar. Governor Sash na-Ledir, by contrast, ran on a platform of increased mineral refining and industrial development, while both of the prominent scientists that declared their candidacy, Director of Physics Research Suna na-Filvan and Commander Orsh na-Karan (commanding officer of the science ship Fiplar), ran on platforms of increasing consumer goods production and, predictably, investment in scientific research and development.

The similarity of na-Filvan and na-Karan’s platforms might have been what consigned them to a less prominent role, as most commentators and media focused on the rivalry (more perceived than actual) between President na-Ilper and Governor na-Ledir. Initial polls showed that all the candidates were neck-and-neck and had the support of roughly 25% of voters, but President na-Ilper pulled ahead in the polls after a pervasive advertising campaign promising that the colony ship Ekaplar, en route to its destination of Yndynth III, would be only the first colony ship and colony of many. After that campaign, voters were mostly won over by his promises of colonial expansion (and the promised opportunities to all Mishar), though of course the other candidates still had their supporters and fought for every additional percentage point they could pull away from President na-Ilper’s advantage.

Commander na-Karan, due to his commanding a ship that was surveying the Aegeus system beyond Mishar space, was unable to personally campaign on Mishar (unlike his opponents), though he did make several virtual appearances at the presidential debates and other occasions. President na-Ilper, Governor na-Ledir, and Director na-Filvan personally appeared at various events all over Mitra for both their own election campaigns and the election campaigns of their supporters running for Union Congress seats in both the Senate and Chamber of Representatives.

After the votes were tallied, President Vash na-Ilper won re-election to the presidency. The Union Congress remained broadly the same as it had after the 2205 mid-term elections due to the egalitarians maintaining control of both the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives, though the xenophobes gained a few Chamber seats from the pacifists.

2210 Union Presidential election results (2% margin of error, estimated):

1. President Vash na-Ilper, 40% of votes
2. Core Governor Sash na-Ledir, 20% of votes
3. Commander Orsh na-Karan, 20% of votes
4. Director Suna na-Filvan, 18% of votes

2210 Union Congress election results:
Union Council: 108 seats

1. Egalitarians: 54 seats
2. Xenophobes: 50 seats
3. Pacifists: 4 seats

Union Chamber of Representatives: 2065 seats

1. Egalitarians: 1033 seats (no change)
   
2. Xenophobes: 958 seats (gained 5 seats)
   
3. Pacifists: 74 seats (lost 5 seats)

Several hotly disputed Chamber elections had resulted in recounts, but as a result some constituencies which had been up for grabs tilted either xenophobe or pacifist. With a few exceptions, almost all of the Union Senators and Representatives had decided to run for re-election and, after the election, began to prepare for their 2nd Congressional term of office.

Simultaneously, the Union government was conducting the first census conducted since the formation of the Union, which would be used to determine the distribution of seats in the Union Chamber of Representatives. Before the Ekaplar had even left the Mitra system, plans were made for the colonists of the newly-settled planet Veriban to elect a representative to the Chamber, though this representative would lack the ability to vote in the Chamber. Much like the ideological divisions among the rest of the Congress, the election on Veriban was generally split between egalitarian, xenophobe, and pacifist candidates, though in the end the Veriban colonists elected a representative sympathetic to the egalitarian faction. Once the population on Veriban had grown more, the Union Congress would have to decide how to allot seats, as the residents of Veriban would probably desire representation in both the Senate and Chamber, but that fortunately was not a pressing issue, at least for the near future.

(The recounts and disputed seats mentioned above are my way of accounting for the math not quite working out. Hooray for authorial fiat! While attempting to calculate legislature results, I realized I miscalculated for the 2205 elections and, assuming I was sticking with the US Government example, should have been using the population I started with in 2200, not the 2205 population… Oops!

In game terms, on 2210.4.1 the Mishar Union has 28 pops [14 egalitarian, 13 xenophobe, 1 pacifist], and on the same day in 2205, the Union consisted of 26 pops [13 egalitarian, 12 xenophobe, 1 pacifist]. Moving forward, I think I'll continue to stick with 'population as of most recent census', which might get interesting as the population grows and I have to decide how to convert "POPs" to an actual number of individuals. I'm also thinking that next election, I'll have to add some "sexy" graphs to really spice up these electoral updates.)

2210 candidates in-game: Name, sex, age, level, traits (traits in current position), platform/mandate

• Union President Vash na-Ilper, male, 45 years old, level 3, Warlike, Reformer, Offworld Miner
• Core Governor Sash na-Ledir, male, 44 years old, level 3, Expansionist, Investor (Environmental Engineer), Minerals Refining
  
• Scientist Orsh na-Karan, male, 43 years old, level 3, Expansionist, Investor (Expert: Voidcraft, Expert: Particles), Consumer Goods Production
• Scientist Suna na-Filvan, female, 47 years old, level 2, Charismatic, Explorer (Spark of Genius), Consumer Goods Production

​

 

[Specialist290]

An intriguing peek at the inner workings of Mishar democracy. I have to wonder if the shift in seats between the pacifists and the xenophobes, minor as it may seem, might reflect in some sense increasing worries about the nature of the vast galaxy they've been thrown into.

 

[stnylan]

Pacificism is certainly easier to maintain in theory, rather when faced by those who care not a whit for it.

 

[Macavity116]

I'm also thinking that next election, I'll have to add some "sexy" graphs to really spice up these electoral updates.

Yes please!

I studied Political Science in college. Election/voter data in graph form is very interesting to me... And yes, I know I'm not normal.

 

[Alex Borhild]

Specialist290: That's probably a good analysis. Aside from my perennial desire for more internal politics in Stellaris, it would be interesting to see how a shift like that might change things in Mishar society. I'll have to look again at my notes and see what happens after the Mishar encounter another "star nation".
stnylan: That is true! I'm reminded of facing Fanatical Purifiers in various Stellaris games.

6
Expanding Operations
2210.1-2216.12​

Mishar industry was not idle while the politicians on Mitra lobbied for votes. During the first few months of 2210, a mining station was built at Shy’lyee VI and the Avotrax-class corvette Doplar was completed. As previously mentioned, the first Mishar colony ship Ekaplar also landed on Veriban (Yndythn III) before the 2210 elections.

A few months later, the 1st Expeditionary Fleet arrived in the Wypumsue system, and Fellowship vessels were detected in orbit of the third planet of the Lythorius system. The 1st Expeditionary Fleet was ordered to engage the cultists. Meanwhile, President na-Ilper approved the Habitable Worlds Survey, a program that had been proposed and endorsed by leading members of the Mishar scientific community.

A few days before 2210 ended, the first shots were fired by Admiral na-Febor’s ships against the Fellowship vessels commanded by Vash na-Ibban, formerly a junior Union Space Force officer. After the battle in Lythorius, efforts to recover and analyze Fellowship debris began. Intelligence analysts had noticed that the Fellowship cultists had deployed many more ships than they could have clandestinely produced on Mitra, and the presence of a large ship of alien design raised further unsettling questions.

Were the cultists receiving alien aid? Had they found a cache of similar ships?

Coincidentally, after announcing the defeat of the cultists in the Lythorius system, the two leading factions in the Union Congress announced the formation of two new political parties.

President Vash na-Ilper declared the formation of the Democratic Rights Network, which would support equal rights for all Mishar, while Governor Sash na-Ledir declared the formation of the Mishar Supremacy Vanguard, which sought to ensure the superiority of the Mishar species.

Elsewhere, construction began on an outpost in the Inthasten system and, after population growth on Mitra, construction began on an alloy foundry. A new science ship was ordered, and upon its completion it was named Iritrex and Daka na-Ilper was given command of the vessel and ordered to survey the Lythorius system.

After several months of analysing cultist debris, the unsettling questions appeared to be answered.

Fragments from a recovered log file mentioned that the Fellowship fleet fleeing Mitra had discovered a long-abandoned alien shipyard and used the automated facility to reinforce their numbers and produce new ships from designs stored in the shipyard’s memory banks. Clearly it would be necessary to destroy the alien shipyard.


Pova na-Febor, the successor of Sash na-Ibban as commanding officer of the science ship Oratrex, continued exploration “east” of Mitra space in the Nakila and Med Karash systems. A couple of the more noteworthy discoveries included recording the magnetic pole reversal of a moon in the Nakila system and discovering mushroom forests on the third planet of the Med Karash system.

A massive crater in the Aegeus system was determined to have been formed by a starship colliding with the moon roughly ten thousand years ago. An Avotrex-class corvette also began construction in the last days of 2212. It would be named the Oratrex after its completion at the Mituhar shipyard. The Iritrex-class corvette Replar was also laid down and completed during 2213. Work began on an outpost in the Wypumsee station and a derelict structure was found on asteroid 2L-1-59-C in the Plov system, which na-Febor was authorized to investigate. It was determined that the derelict asteroid base was powered by some kind of miniature singularity.

Also in early 2214, the Wypumsee outpost was completed and Veriban was established. According to preliminary polling, the approximately fifty thousand people that lived on the planet were split between Democratic Rights Network members and sympathizers and, oddly, materialists who believed that scientific research deserved a more prominent place in Mishar society. Perhaps it was the influence of all the scientists studying their new home.


Unidentified signals in the Plov system, upon further investigation, turned out to be an flight recorder from some kind of alien military cruiser.

After the Lythorius system was surveyed by Daka na-Ilper, she was ordered to investigate Yuht remnants in the Aegeus system. Studying the Yuht singularity drive there would ultimately yield some insights into energy transmission efficiency and applied superconductivity.

After studying the Yuht remnants in Aegeus, Daka na-Ilper was ordered to explore “south” of the Wypumsee system, which had only been “officially” part of Union space for around a year, since the second month of 2214.

Mituhar system: Mishar home system
Yndynth system: location of Veriban, first Union extra-Mitran colony

The 2215 mid-term elections marked the first with proper political parties since the formation of the Union. There were no drastic surprises- as expected, the Democratic Rights Network retained control of both the Senate and the Chamber. They did lose 2 Chamber seats to the Mishar Supremacy Vanguard, however. The pacifists lost a Senate seat to the DRN but held strong and avoided losses in the Chamber.

Before the election there had been much debate about representation of the new colony of Veriban. Some favored immediately adding Senate and Chamber seats to represent the Veriban colonists, while others felt that the population of Veriban should be higher before they gained a disproportionate amount of representation. Ultimately, a compromise was struck that Veriban would gain representation in the Union Senate at a later date, but not before the population reached 4 million people. At that time Veriban would also gain full representation in the Congress, but at least until the next census in 2220, Veriban would continue to be represented by a representative elected by the colonists who lacked any real power. The egalitarian representative from Veriban faced a close race, but was narrowly re-elected by the colonists.

Union Senate

1. DRN (Egalitarian): 55 seats (+1 seat)
   
2. MSV (Xenophobe): 50
   
3. Pacifist: 3 seats (-1 seat)

Union Chamber of Representatives

1. DRN (Egalitarian): 1031 seats (lost 2 seats)
   
2. MSV (Xenophobe): 960 (gained 2 seats)
   
3. Pacifist: 74

(This time I actually used the 2210 population rather than the 2215 population. As of 2215.4.4, the Mishar Union contains 32 pops (30 on Mitra, 2 on Veriban), of which 17 are Egalitarian, 13 are Xenophobe, 1 is Pacifist, and 1 is Materialist.)

Shortly after the 2215 mid-term elections, rare crystals were discovered on Estithra VI.

Later that year, monoliths were found on Plov V, which Pova na-Febor was authorized to investigate, and after that she was authorized to investigate a strange alien object found on Plov Va.

Investigation revealed that the device seemed to be some kind of scent-based storage device used to store short stories of an either surprising or comedic nature.

While the Iritrex commanded by Daka na-Ilper continued its survey “south” of Mishar space, Orsh na-Karan reported finding an icy planet that contained a massive cave system.