A calm emperor reflecting on his empire's past and his role in guiding it... I like Tancred VII even more now.
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A n;ce sidestep and introduction to the new ruler. Looking forward to what he will accomplish.
Brother and Sister
Avelina walked in, smiling brightly. Tancred stood up from his desk and walked towards her. They hugged.
“So, brother, enjoying your new life as an Emperor?” Avelina asked as they walked towards table by the window, showing good view to the Mediterranean Sea.
“If this keeps up, my children will forget about me,” Tancred shrugged. They sat down.
“16-hour workdays, no free days and they’re 16-hours just because I need sleep, unfortunately,” Tancred continued. “Wonder how mother did manage?”
It was Avelina’s turn to shrug. “Unless there was huge crises, not your everyday one, she tried to keep working for 8 hours max. Succeeded too, most of the times. I guess the secret is delegation.”
“And the ability to see the difference between important, seemingly important, totally unimportant and things seemingly totally unimportant, but in reality totally important with widespread consequences,” Tancred sighed. “Guess it comes with practice.”
“But, what brings my favorite Admiral here today?” he continued.
“I’m your only Admiral,” Avelina said
“Just makes the competition of my favorite Admiral a bit easier,” Tancred chuckled. “What you need?”
“Simple. I need more ships, i need bigger ships and i need a target!” said Avelina.
Tancred laughed. “Simple as always, eh, sister? Well, as far as i know, there are some new destroyers in production, first cruisers in blueprint phase and as for targets... we just won the war against pigs. You want to go to war again?”
Tancred took a sip of coffee and gazed questioningly at Avelia. “What’s the rush?”
“Well, since you asked- remember, it was traditions of the Normans. Every time we a new ruler came to power, it was tradition to send coronation gift to the Holy Roman Empire- a war claiming one of their provinces. Or Duchies. Also, the same tradition upon coronation of new Emperor. Normans would always come uninvited. Until there was no Holy Roman Empire left.”
“Yes, i know this tradition well,” Tancred replied, slowly. “And the latter tradition to help to... create need for the new Mongol Khan to take the throne and receive the gift.”
He leaned forward: “But dear sister, that was almost 1000 years ago?”
“We are still Normans,” Avelina grinned, “And i don’t know about you, but the thought of war and battles and glory gets my blood flowing faster”
“Mine as well, but i imagine that to much lesser effect than your blood, my dear sister,” Tancred replied with soft voice. “But just giving you another dose of adrenaline isn’t good enough justification for war. At least, not in my eyes.”
“Is to be, brother dear,” there was playfulness in Avelina’s eyes. “But, there could be other reasons. Like, when we take the Djomars...”
Confederated Djomar Domains, or the angry ticks. Flying angry ticks.
She was stopped by Tancred: “So, you come asking for targets, but you already have one?”
“I always come prepared, brother”
“So, Djomars? The ticks in the south, who want nothing to do with us?”
“The very same”
“Why them?”
“Well, because... several reasons. First, their current size allows us to wipe them out in one war. Soon, we won’t have that luxury anymore.” this was apparently well-rehearsed text, for Avelina told it without even breathing.
Tancred leaned back, took cup of coffee to his hand and listened to sale pich carefully.
“Plus, they are at war with the angry pigs, Avelina continued. “Meaning, they will be vulnerable. Or...” Now she raised her finger.
“Brother dear, have you thought that war against Jusstkan was easy? A bit too easy?”
“Yes, i was expecting a tougher fight,” Tancred replied. Thoughtfully.
“So was I. Much tougher. But the Djomars apparently trashed the Jusstkan fleet. Actually, we’ve seen Jusstkan fleet in our scanner range. Much more impressive than the remnants we fought. And the only logical conclusion about the fate of the Jusstkan fleet is that the Djomar did it...”
“So, there is a good chance that the Djomar are much more powerful than we originally thought?”
“Or, they were evenly matched and managed to destroy each others fleets in battle,” Avelina suggested.
“What do you think?” Tancred asked
“Well, i’m really hoping for the first, but all the signs point to a second chance...” Avelina replied. With a sigh.
“You know, I cannot give you an answer right now. Give me all your data and let me ponder,” Tancred stood up, showing that the meeting was over.
With a quick swipe of her notepad, all the Djomar data Avelina had was sent to Tancred. She also stood up, gave her brother a quick hug and left, waving her hand.
Tancred opened up intercom and told “All data you have on Djomar, please. And schedule an advisor meeting for tomorrow morning.”
He took a week to research, ponder, argue and play the different scenarios in both his head and with advisors and with computers. Then, Avelina got a message, telling: “You have my support, sister. The vote for War will happen in two month. You have your time to gather support.” Avelina smiled. Like there was any need for support. These were Normans after all.
The preparations took their sweet time. It October 2248, massive fleet of 25 destroyers and 25 corvettes left the Sol, to Soval, in Kish sector, to prepare for the jump to Djomari space.
The Norman Fleet in 2248, breaking orbit of Earth
In January 2249, Hauteville Empire was at war again. This time, the 4-planet Empire of the Confederated Djomar Domain will be eaten up by the Hauteville Empire. Hopefully.
Surprise! No, wait, you aren't surprised. Shame.
Rivalry
President Guferal of the Fex’Klanga Star League was happy. He was right. The Normans were backstabbing bastards to cared nothing about years of good relations. Oh no, these bastards just had to cut off all relations with the powerful Fex’Klangan Empire, bar Fex’Klangan ships from moving through their territory and stop any treaties the two nations had. Using Normans as scapegoats, he used this move to strengthen Zithoran influence in the Fex’Klangan goverment.
Human-Fex'Klangan relations keep on detoriating
Tancred wasn’t really worried. He knew full well that Guferal will get what is coming to him. Eventually.
Ergos Habitation Station
Ergos was good stuff. Add a bit to the planet’s atmosphere and miracles will happen. People are healthier, the local ecosystem of the planet seems a bit less horrible and overall, the condition of life improves. Using Ergos also improves the output of energy weapons, but currently, this was of no importance.
New Ergos Habitation Station, a manufactory for the Ergos gases, was set up to be built in Hauteville-Sur-Mer, a tropical world in the Normandy System. Responsible for the galaxywide production and distribution of the stuff, every planet within the Hauteville Empire is expected to receive a small supply.
Ergos Habitation Station- making the Hauteville-Sur-Mer a more livable place. Rest of the galaxy, too.
The Farming
The population needs food. The growing colonies need a lot of food and even in the old, settled worlds, people want to eat for some reason. Thus, the discovery of the new generation of Hydroponic farms is actually very important. For two reasons- first, it gives new colonies a boost of growth. Second, it also gives a chance to divert some of the population of the existing colonies from food production to sometime more more important- like power production.
More Farms! It is actually really useful.
Just the time was right. Getting Djomar in one scoop cost just 100 warscore, so i couldn't resist. And Avelina was right- it is tradition of the Norman Empire to dish out coronation gifts like that 
Opposition as in vote, not as in enemies.
It's either that or you live under delusion that you have absolute power. And the latter ends up badly for you
Well, good choice then. Hope he manages to stay on your good side too
Thanks! Well, and as a first, we will get some some not-so-peaceful expansion done.
Opposition as in vote, not as in enemies.
It's either that or you live under delusion that you have absolute power. And the latter ends up badly for you
Well, good choice then. Hope he manages to stay on your good side too
Thanks! Well, and as a first, we will get some some not-so-peaceful expansion done.
Considering their strength compared to you seems to be 'pathetic', I'm guessing Djomars are in for a rough time. Oh well for them, at least the siblings get along. Nice to know Avelina doesn't hold a grudge.
I love how the Zithoran president is continuing to doom the Fex’Klangan.
I love how the Zithoran president is continuing to doom the Fex’Klangan.
Happy to see the siblings are still, very, good friends. Also, the return of the coronation gift! I approve!
Also, the return of the coronation gift! I approve!
The djomar were a fallen empire and a huge pain in my ass in my last game so i relish to see them cut down to size here as well
I think ill have to find the time someday and read the aar this is based on. Sounds like a fun story as well
I think ill have to find the time someday and read the aar this is based on. Sounds like a fun story as well
Battle of Semadjo
Avelina Hauteville sat on commanders chair aboard destroyer HTV Sweetness (she named it, yes), her command ship. With dread, she looked as the first salvo from the Djomar fleet flew towards Normans. It was a terrible sight. Space filled with torpedoes, small and medium, all heading towards Normans.
First salvo
She grabbed the intercom and called “Captain Guido Paganini, HTV Columbus, come in”.
Columbus, one of the oldest corvettes of the Hauteville fleet. Completely retrofitted a few times, but still, the ship had near 50 years of age. Once, a pride of Norman fleet of three corvettes, now more a relict. Still, a ship with a crew, and with a history.
The face of Captain Guido appeared on screen. “Admiral,” he said.
Avelina barked an order: “Abandon ship!”
Like any good commander, Guido knew full well that Admiral Avelina doesn’t give out these commands without reason. He saluted, cut the connection and soon, one could see escape pods launching from Columbus. This isn’t an action movie, so the ship didn’t blow up a second later. It took more then a minute for the first Djomar torpedo to sink in. Completely ignoring the shields of the ship, it hit the center of the hull and exploded with a flash. Not enough for the ship to fall apart, but enough to leave a nasty hole inside a hull. Following expulsion of air blew some chairs and some papers and a cup of coffee to space. Then, another one hit, and another, and another. The hull of Columbus started to give up, entire sectors now exposed.
Captain Guido watched with horror as his ship gets torn apart. He had grown to like the old ship, and watching it to be teared apart, slowly but surely, was a horrible sight. Until, there was a bright explosion within the ship. “Reactors,” Guido thought, and reactors they were. One of the torpedoes had hit the most vulnerable part of the ship and with bright explosion, HTV Columbus ceased to be.
The sad end of the HTV Columbus
Avelina groaned. The Normans weren’t even within range and the point defence destroyers needed to close in before they could stop the salvoes. Apparently, the Djomar made their bets on the missiles and the pure range of torpedoes, plus the fact that they totally ignored Norman shields. Hoping to kick out enemy even before they come into shooting range- a wise choice. Meaning, this is how, despite all odds, the Djomir destroyed the Jusstkan fleet. The pigs had no point defence and with bypassed shields, the explosives killed the Jusstkan expansion fleet.
The Djomar ships had no shields and heavy armor. Also something that worked to their advantage- the mass drivers of both Normans and Jusstkan were effective against the shields. Not so much against the armor. Overall, the Djomar had just the tools needed to hit the Normans were it hurt.
Djomar ships. Just perfect against the Normans. For now.
“All fleet, full speed ahead!” she issued an order. “Break formations if needed!”
The ships needed not to be told twice. They all headed towards small Djomir fleet, breaking speed records, knowing full well that the less distance between the enemy fleet and them, the better. Soon, Normans lost their distance. Bohemond-PD class destroyers did their best to shoot down the incoming torpedoes. The enemy started to take losses as the Norman cannons pounded their hulls. Here, the Norman superiority in weapons and in tech really started to get into play. The power and the number of Normans cannons proved to be superior in close quarters and one by one, the Normans ripped open enemy shields, then enemy hulls.
In the end, the enemy was destroyed, but at what price! Two destroyers and four corvettes met their end. Against such small numbers... But still, the enemy was destroyed. Djomar fleet was no more, neither was the spaceport at the enemy homeworld. Soon, the invasion would start.
“We were lucky the enemy didn’t have a bigger fleet,” Avelina commented later. “Or the cost would have been too high”
This battle was surprisingly costly
Leptis Magna
At the same time, Normans continued to expand their Empire south, The this far uninhabited galactic spiral had yet another tropical world. In a system called Unimar, they sent yet another colonizing expedition to settle yet another brand new world. Tropical, but still. Normans were used to tropical by now. This was a third tropical world Normans had colonized in the sector, and third world added to Carthage Sector.
Final approach to Unimar II
Arriving in November 2249, the borders of the Hauteville Empire grew peacefully, encompassing the rich systems of the spiral arm. The red star of Unimar, soon to be renamed Leptis Magna after the colony, would become yet another landmark in Norman push to the South.
Unimar System
Zarquon System
Deep inside the Djomir territory, next to Semadjo, lies Zarquen system. If only Normans had known of it’s existence before the invasion, then perhaps the Djomir would have fallen sooner. Much sooner.
Zarquon was totally uninteresting system for Djomir. Nothing special here. Not even mining bases or science bases. The entire system was empty of any Djomir installations. As for humans... when the data first came, they could not believe their eyes. The system had not one, but two Earth-like planets. And not your normal Earth-like planets. Oh no, on the contrary. Both huge planets. According to initial calculations, both able to support 22 billion humans.
Allow me to introduce: Zarquon III...
Zarquon III and Zarquon IV. One boasting a beautiful set of rings, both having a small moon. Both were beautiful, with some wildlife, but nothing dangerous. The ideal worlds for Humans. Tancred VII did claim both planets to be part of the Imperial domain as soon as the news hit. Even before the war was over, preparation for colonization of these worlds begun.
And Zarquon IV
Zarquon System became the biggest Norman prize gained from this war.
More Science
In 2249, Normans found a way to stabilize the dangerous quicksand areas of desert and arid world. Nothing for Humans, but this was useful for Justtkan worlds and also for the soon-to-be conquered Djomir worlds.
If you happen to be a Jusstkan, you'll be ecstatic because of this discovery. If you're Norman, you're more like Meh
A few month later, designs for Advanced Power Hubs came. Increasing the energy production in a planet by 15%. Most of the Norman worlds already had the earlier version of the hub, but the upgrade made possible for the production to add up. And power is important here. Really important.
Finally, Normans did some scanning of the Djormir wrecks and got a pretty good clue on how to make these space torpedoes and advanced armor themselves too. The hulls were in good enough conditions that the very same torpedoes could soon be added to the arsenal of the Hauteville Fleet too. If Normans wanted to do so, that is.
Long live the debris!
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Ehh, i'm afraid the updates are going to be a bit more rare. Real life closing in... But i'll try my best to keep 'em coming!
And well, thank the gods the Djomir and Jussstkan managed to fight each other out. Or the battle would have been more costly. And the Zarquon system... i truly wish i'd known before! Then it would have been by first target...
As you can see, Normans were also in for a surprisingly rough time. But yes, the war is won now
And yes, the Zithorans are making Fex'Klangans... a very viable target!
Heh, but i'm afraid you'll have to wait for next 50 years or so for the next one. Tancred is just 47, you know!
Ouch! Yea, the fallens can be a pain. Well, at least, luckily, they aren't that fallen here. Well, i'll make them fall over, but they'd be more like destroyed then fallen
Yes, but they still packed a bunch.
And well, thank the gods the Djomir and Jussstkan managed to fight each other out. Or the battle would have been more costly. And the Zarquon system... i truly wish i'd known before! Then it would have been by first target...
As you can see, Normans were also in for a surprisingly rough time. But yes, the war is won now
And yes, the Zithorans are making Fex'Klangans... a very viable target!
Happy to see the siblings are still, very, good friends.
Heh, but i'm afraid you'll have to wait for next 50 years or so for the next one. Tancred is just 47, you know!
The djomar were a fallen empire and a huge pain in my ass in my last game so i relish to see them cut down to size here as well
I think ill have to find the time someday and read the aar this is based on. Sounds like a fun story as well
Ouch! Yea, the fallens can be a pain. Well, at least, luckily, they aren't that fallen here. Well, i'll make them fall over, but they'd be more like destroyed then fallen
Yes, but they still packed a bunch.
The battles were much bloodier than I expected, but it's a good lesson for the Hauteville Empire that they can't get complacent in their efforts to become stronger. Seems like the Zarquon System will help quite a bit on that front, letting people expand freely for awhile.
Oh yes, i was expecting whack-a-mole as well. Well, you live, you learn.
And it's not even a question of free expansion. Since the limit is now system-based, it means i will have a system with total 44 pops. That is power!
Same.
Thanks for pointing out. I hope i fixed it now.
And yes, i didn't believe my eyes first when i saw... continental world, habitable, 22, times two
Lucky!
I'm late for the party!
But, I have to say; I pity the future archaeologists of that neolithic world, when in a few hundred thousand years they discover that knife made of advanced alloys among stone tools and campfires.
There will be many questions and few sensible answers.
But, I have to say; I pity the future archaeologists of that neolithic world, when in a few hundred thousand years they discover that knife made of advanced alloys among stone tools and campfires.
There will be many questions and few sensible answers.
I can't believe that I never posted in this thread before. Your AAR is one of the best of Stellaris and you can be really proud of your writing (be it characterization or world building with this strange democratic feudalism )
Subbed for the next updates!
(be it characterization or world building with this strange democratic feudalism ) Subbed for the next updates!