Grand Theft Stellaris

[Macavity116]

this brought some levity to what was otherwise a night that had me feeling quite down due to some sad news in real life, so thank you for that.

I'm glad I could lift your spirits a little. Thanks for reading and I wish you better times ahead.

No real schedule for posting new chapters exists, but if Coldwar Affair was any indication, try checking back every two or three days and you'll most certainly find new chapters.

 

[Macavity116]

Chapter 2: The Automated Dreadnought​

---

High above the Throneworld, a megalithic structure orbited the planet. Runa Starbase was among the largest in the galaxy, roughly the size of a small moon. The Galactic Emperor’s flagship was here, docked to the Shipyard. The Stellaris was such a massive vessel that it was attached to the exterior of the structure by a series of docking ports and scaffolding systems. The shuttlecraft that delivered Cali and Dak to the vessel looked like a speck in comparison.

…

“Oh, my goodness! Everything here is huge!!” Cali declared as she stepped aboard the flagship.

Stellaris was an overwhelming vessel. Three times the size of an Alarian battleship, and almost five times the firepower. The Imperial flagship carried weapons and technology the likes of which she could barely comprehend. Dak laughed when Cali began to drool over the Dark Matter powerplant and beg the Chief Engineer to let her join the next maintenance crew.

Cali was in a particularly good mood these days. Dak had used some of his political cloud to secure Cali’s transfer to the Stellaris, allowing the couple to continue working together. The couple had worried about some resistance to the transfer by an officer or politician, but things went through without a hitch. Once the pair boarded the ship, the reason why became clear:

The Imperial Flagship Stellaris was an Alarian vessel. Or rather, she was a joint Alarian-Fevarian warship, with both species being among the crew. Designed and built by Alarians, the vessel was meant to be a gift from Cali’s Homeworld to the Galactic Emperor, and he accepted it with enthusiasm.

Because the Stellaris was an Alarian ship, her crew was mostly Alarian. Cali and Dak could not remember the last time they found so many of their own people aboard a spacecraft so far from home.

Dak was assigned the duties of a relief bridge officer, taking command of the ship whenever the Commanding Officer was not available. The Galactic Emperor had appointed someone to command the Stellaris, but that person had not arrived yet. Serving alongside Dak was Lieutenant Commander Tik Y’Pana. Tik was a very hotheaded Alarian who never hesitated to speak his mind. Tik was also outspoken about his beliefs. On their very first day aboard the Stellaris, Tik make his political opinions known when he stepped out of the communal showers and used his bath towel to cover up a portrait of the Galactic Emperor.

Cali was given her dream job: an assignment in Engineering. Her immediate superior was an Alarian woman named Ruto B’Torak. She was the exact opposite of Tik, loyal to the Galactic Emperor to such a degree that Cali wondered if Ruto was secretly worshipping him. Ruto was, until Cali showed up, the only woman working in Engineering, so the two were quick to find spare time to bond and get to know each other.

One morning, in the cafeteria, Ruto and Cali asked about each other’s backgrounds:

“I’m a Voidborne.” Ruto explained. “Born in space. Aboard a passenger ship bound for Alaria. My family made a big show of my first steps on the Homeworld, but I always loved being out here.”

“Is that why you bought a commission?” Cali asked.

“Kind of.” Ruto confessed. “I know neither of us look like nobility, dressed in overalls and working on starship engines, but I’m from a new money family. My brother married a noblewoman who owns one of the outlying colonies. Before that, we lived day-to-day running a tourism company. Not poor, not rich either. Then everything changed. My parents told me that I needed to go out and make a name for myself so that our family can stay in the upper class. They gave me their savings and told me to buy the Commander rank… so here I am. What about you?”

“My family is old money.” Cali replied. “We were some of the first Alarians to be made into nobles when our planet was brought into the Holy Fevarian Empire. The D’Kara family is descended from a… uh… um… let’s say… a well-known spacefarer.”

“Pssh. Don’t be humble.” Ruto interrupted. “Just say it: Vaki J’Dir. The space pirate who held the Throneworld hostage three hundred years ago. Your family is still living off the riches she stole. Everyone knows.”

Ruto winked.

“You were set for an easy life, D’Kara. Why the Imperial Navy?”

Cali hesitated for a moment, as if unsure whether to reply. And then she leaned forward to whisper in Ruto’s ear:

“I’m on the run.”

Ruto gasped, grabbed Cali and pulled her close.

“Are you serious!? From who? Why?” Ruto demanded to know. “Tell me everything!”

“My parents showed up at home one day with this guy I’ve never met this guy before, never even heard of him. Mom and Dad said I was going to marry him. They even set a date for the ceremony and everything.”

Ruto furrowed her brow.

“But… aren’t arranged marriages common in the aristocrats?”

“Yeah,” Cali scoffed. “But this dude? He was an absolute monster. I saw it in his eyes the instant I met him. Whenever he talked, it was all about how he felt and what he wanted and what he was willing to give me. Then he had the gall to say that I was lucky he found me. I got chills.”

“So you ran?” Ruto asked. “You really ran away from your own wedding!?”

“Damn right.” Cali said. “I got away with just enough money to buy the lowest possible officer rank. Being an Ensign is so much better than spending another moment with that freak.”

“Couldn’t your parents find you?” Ruto said. “What if Van finds you?”

“Doesn’t matter if they do!” Cali replied, thumping her chest with pride. “I turned twenty years old before they could find me. I’m legally an adult on Alaria, and the law says only children can get betrothed. Now I’m the only one who gets a vote on who I marry.”

…

Ruto and Cali spent a lot of time in the ship’s Artificial Intelligence Core, where they were working on a very ambitious project: The Galactic Emperor wanted the shipboard AI to be expanded to such a point that the vessel could operate with a minimal crew, despite being the size of a planetoid. Cali and Ruto both loved the concept of an “Automated Dreadnought.” No such vessel had ever flown before and Cali desperately wanted to be the first engineer to build it. She put the entire Engineering team to work on the project right away.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Tik and Dak drilled for battle.

Combat training in the Imperial military is interesting affair. There has not been a full-scale war between nations since the foundation of the Holy Fevarian Empire almost a thousand years ago.

The last pocket of uncivilized space in the Galactic North was the site of several small skirmishes between the Imperial Military and various spaceborne monsters.

What conflicts did occur were small in scale. Occasional slave revolts brought destruction to cities and towns, but were put down quickly by the armed forces. Uncivilized space creatures needed to be cleared out of Hyperlanes. Warships chased rogue mining drones and pirates. This latter scenario is what the Stellaris trained for. This one vessel was so massive and powerful that it could take down entire armadas of pirate ships singlehanded.

The prestige surrounding the Imperial Flagship gave it value in diplomacy as well. Across the entire Galaxy, there were thirty spacefaring civilizations and almost fifty sentient species, all subjugated under the Galactic Emperor’s rule. The Imperial Navy was required to keep the peace between the many subject nations, lest factional disputes or interspecies conflict give way to something far worse. In the past, such incidents have occurred, proving the need for the Imperial military to exist:

The reptilian Tzynn people went through a political upheaval almost four centuries ago. Disputes between local warlords very nearly led to a civil war on the Tzynn homeworld, a few skirmishes claimed dozens of lives before the Imperial military arrived to defuse the situation.

Two hundred-fifty years ago, the Mandasura Collective, a race of Hive-minded planetoids, launched a full-scale invasion of a pre-FTL society on the planet Sol III.

This act of war occurred against the Emperor’s will and triggered a tense political crisis that would persist for a decade. In the end, all seven billion members of the Human species were forcibly evicted from their Homeworld to make room for Mandasura settlers. Nowadays, the Human diaspora is scattered throughout the Galaxy. The Alarian government, with permission from the Galactic Emperor, set aside a single star system for the displaced, and now the Humans have a planet to call their own once again. Cali had visited the Human Reservation once. She remembered how much she loved the Human people and wished she would get to see them again someday.

For about two weeks, Cali and Dak settled into their new lives aboard the Stellaris, finding that they were very happy with the arrangement. In the back of their minds, both of them made a mental note to thank the Galactic Emperor for the opportunity to serve aboard his personal flagship.

They would never get the chance.

…

About two weeks after Cali and Dak arrived on the Stellaris, an incredible series of events happened. The news reached Stellaris in multiple ways: encrypted military communication, unencrypted communications, and by a Xenonian News broadcast. By the time the news actually reached the ship, it was too late to take any action. All Cali and her comrades could do was meet on the bridge to discuss what had just happened.

“First Akoth, then Tukhethu, and now we have Khetreph. I never thought we would see the ‘year of three Sovereigns.’ Two Galactic Emperors and one Galactic Empress.”

Dak finished his statement and raised a glass of Hazbuzan wine. Cali, Tik, and Ruto all sat around the map table on the bridge, staring at one another in absolute disbelief. Out of the forward window, the four officers could see Throneworld Aix. Huge columns of acrid black smoke rose from the cityscapes below. Cali grabbed a glass of wine, her hands shaking so much that liquid splashed the tabletop and stained a map of the planet.

“Do we know, like… casualty figures?” Cali dared to ask.

“About one hundred fifty dead so far.” Tik said. “Mostly people in the immediate vicinity of the Imperial Palace.”

Dak let out an angry roar and flung his wine glass across the room. It hit the plasma screen and smashed loudly, distorting the video of the news report.

“Why!?” Dak yelled. “Whose bright idea was that!? What absolute moron woke up this morning and said ‘oh, I think I’m going to drive my battle tank through the center of the Royal City and SHOOT UP THE IMPERIAL PALACE!’ What the hell happened down there this morning!?”

Ruto shuddered.

“We… we have to focus on the important part.” Ruto said. “The Galactic Emperor is dead. Long live the Galactic Empress. Long may Khetreph reign.”

It was Cali’s turn to lose her cool. She exploded on Ruto.

“Are you kidding me right now? We just witness a coup! Khetreph just overthrew her own brother, and she probably had him executed. She usurped the throne!”

“Don’t say that!” Ruto protested. “Khetreph is in charge now. You can’t speak ill of her like that!”

Ruto stood up and pointed to the main superstructure of the Shipyard, saying:

“Soon, the new Empress will send someone to make sure of our loyalty. We need to prostrate ourselves and swear new oaths of vassalage, on behalf of all Alaria if we need to.”

Cali, Dak, and Tik all scoffed at the idea.

“You’re kidding, right?” Dak said to Ruto. “These people are supposed to be our overlords, but they can’t even keep order on their own Throneworld! The Imperial family are feuding with each other so badly they’ve started killing each other, and now the Army is getting in on the action! Don’t you see what this means?”

Ruto gave Dak a disgusted look. Cali understood the implication.

“How can the Galactic Empress project authority over the rest of the Galaxy if she can’t keep her own family from wrecking the palace?” Cali said. “Yeah, I see what you mean. This… this could be bad.”

“Time will tell.” Tik said. “Khentreph will be taking command of the Imperial Military soon. We should sit tight and wait for orders.”

 

[Von Acturus]

Tik make his political opinions known when he stepped out of the communal showers and used his bath towel to cover up a portrait of the Galactic Emperor.

Brave man, though later in the chapter he actually seems more moderate than Dak, that is a powerful (and risky) gesture.

How widespread is anti-imperial sentiment both inside the Holy Fevarian Empire itself and on subjects like Alaria?

And now the Angel Princess is in charge, will she use her newfound power to usher an age of social reform or will she wage endless war upon her brothers and other 'traitors' of her new monarchy?

Also, I spotted both Baterra and Saiiban as subjects of the Empire. I bet that this story will have a sung version, though I hope it's not Eerabik singing it!

 

[Macavity116]

Brave man, though later in the chapter he actually seems more moderate than Dak, that is a powerful (and risky) gesture.

Tik's gesture is a sly reference to the 1957 propaganda movie "The Enemy Below" in which a Nazi submarine commander covered up a portrait of Hitler with his bath towel.

How widespread is anti-imperial sentiment both inside the Holy Fevarian Empire itself and on subjects like Alaria?

Gameplay-wise, anti-imperial sentiment was easy to find. By the time the second "Questionable succession" event fired, there had already been two planetary revolts, one of which utterly dismembered the Empire of Iivar (see the screenshot below)

Narrative-wise, anti-imperial sentiment is widespread and just bubbling to the surface. For the Holy Fevarian Empire, it is all downhill from here.

And now the Angel Princess is in charge, will she use her newfound power to usher an age of social reform or will she wage endless war upon her brothers and other 'traitors' of her new monarchy?

Her efforts to consolidate power and keep control of the empire are going to backfire in some pretty spectacular ways.

Also, I spotted both Baterra and Saiiban as subjects of the Empire. I bet that this story will have a sung version, though I hope it's not Eerabik singing it!

You saw that! XD

Yup. I committed an accidental oversight while setting up the custom empires for this game. Several empires that previously appeared in the Stormbreaker Universe are present in this Galaxy. Specifically, all of the following Empires are from either The Stormbreakers or The Last Heroes:

• Tobari Star Empire
• Baterra
• Morbuzakh
• Saiiban Confederation
• State of Gilead

 

[Arithmetician]

Of course, nothing ever goes wrong when you try to automate a dreadnought...

And then, somehow... Eerabik returns...

 

[Macavity116]

And then, somehow... Eerabik returns...

Don't tempt me.

A very unexpected Galactic Community event happened while I was playing this game today and now I have to find out just how the hell I'm supposed to integrate it into the story.* To all of you folks who write gameplay-based AAR's I have no idea how you do it.

*Basically, because of some modifications I made to the Galactic Community game files, the Indolent Overlord was able to hijack the Senate and become the Galactic Imperium almost immediately AFTER it went through its scripted collapse.

 

[Arithmetician]

@Macavity116

Here’s how:

Senator Eerabik: “And Khentreph’s rebellion has been foiled... The remaining Fevarians will be hunted down and defeated! The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you that my resolve has never been stronger! In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Holy Fevarian Empire will be reorganized into the First Galactic Imperium! For a safe and secure society!"

(Just kidding)

 

[Macavity116]

@Arithmetician, this just makes my day.

I might have to resort to a Star Wars reference when push comes to shove. The takeover caught me off guard because I was actually distracted.

As soon as the Indolent Overlord collapsed and all 30 empires became independent, I started trying to build a Federation that could oppose the weakened Indolent Overlord in a straight-up war. But by the time my alliance really got going the "Declare Imperium" vote had already started! My mind was blown! XD

In the screenshots below, you can see the whole situation went pear-shaped in about 3 months of game time.

Spoiler: Rapid descent into Imperium

 

[Arithmetician]

@Macavity116 Just how Eerabik’s takeover of my Galactic Republic took me off-guard back in the day when changing my government form in the middle of an election resulted in an immediate, random winner.

 

[Von Acturus]

Oh man, this will make for a fun story! Maybe you can write the proclamation of the Imperium as a desperate and largely ridiculed gambit by a crumbling hegemon. Or maybe the Fevarian Empress has been building a fleet of colossus on Fevegol to bully the galaxy into submission!

And the Fevarian Empire had the galatron ?? I have yet to see it pop up in my games!

 

[Macavity116]

And the Fevarian Empire had the galatron ?? I have yet to see it pop up in my games!

Next time you play a non-ironman game, open up the console, take control of another empire (preferably one with lots of enemies) and then type:

add_relic r_galatron

Switch back to your own empire with "play 0" and then watch the fireworks.

Bonus points if the empire receiving the Galatron recently picked "Become the Crisis."



As you can tell by my above posts, I did have a plan for how this story was going to earn the name "Grand Theft Stellaris." The plan just didn't survive actual gameplay.

 

[HistoryDude]

Tik Y’Pana is brave to the point of being reckless.

Well, this coup might have bad implications. The Fevarians are going through dark times.

Well, you could launch the Galactic Rebellion (even if it might require switching nations - console commands are a thing). Explain the takeover as yet another coup and then explain the Rebellion as resistance to that coup. The really interesting question is how you would integrate that into the Prologue...

 

[Macavity116]

Well, this coup might have bad implications. The Fevarians are going through dark times.

Best part is at this point, the Indolent Overlord has not actually gone through the big collapse promised by all of the advertising for the Overlord DLC. I have reached that point in gameplay though, and I can happily report it was fun! My computer straight-up froze for about 20 seconds when the event chain finally triggered. It was glorious!

Tik Y’Pana is brave to the point of being reckless.

Ever since I came up with the character at the end of January, Tik has been very reckless, almost to the point of being self-destructive. Believe it or not, he was actually worse at one point in time.

About four weeks back, I was experimenting with a story called Voyage of the Resonance Cascade. An earlier version of Tik was a main character in that story and he was downright insane:

Spoiler: Excerpt from "Voyage of the Resonance Cascade"

The normally calm lighting around the yacht’s interior suddenly turned red and began to flash. The teens let go of Dak, looking around in fright.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Cali said.

Moving as though it was waiting for her to speak, Helperbot entered the stateroom.

“Hello my most wonderful passengers!” Helperbot said. “I’m just overjoyed to let you know a Traffic Control ship from the Wenkwort Gendarmerie is approaching on an intercept vector. They were even so kind as to send you a message! Please direct your attention to the movie screen.”

Without waiting for the teens to disentangle themselves, a video started playing on the floor-to-ceiling screen on the opposite wall. An image appeared of two people standing on the deck of a starship. Cali gasped with fright as she recognized one of them: It was Pol B’Torak: Ruto’s father, the actual owner of the starship Stellaris and quite possibly the richest man in the Galaxy. Standing next to Pol was a high-ranking member of the Gendarmerie, the law enforcement agency responsible for this sort of situation.

“Attention.” Said the Gendarme. “I am Colonel T’Saris, Wenkwort Gendarmerie. You are in possession of a stolen spacecraft. I am giving you a lawful order to power down your engines and prepare to be-“

But before Colonel T’Saris could finish speaking, Ruto’s father pushed him aside, desperately trying to speak:

“Ruto! Ruto my darling, my beautiful flower! Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

Ruto turned away from the window to look at the screen. She spotted her father and waved merrily.

“Hi daddy!” Ruto said. “We’re going to look for pirate treasure!”

Then Ruto sat down by a computer console and absent-mindedly started pushing buttons.

Both Pol and Colonel T’Saris looked at one another, confused. Then they leaned forward, as though scanning the screen for any adults aboard the Stellaris. None were visible, as Moka and Van were still pinning Dak to the floor. Cali, Tik, Gar, and Ruto were the only teens visible.

“Are all of you kids?” Colonel T’Saris asked. “Any adults with you?

“Hey! I’m eighteen!” Gar protested.

Dak let out a muffled yell, Moka stuffed her fist in his mouth.

Colonel T’Saris looked as though he was running out of patience.

“Right, none of you move.” The Colonel said. “We’re gonna board your craft and take you all into custody.”

“WHAT!? NO!” Cali shouted. “We’ve barely started.”

She pulled Vaki’s map out of her pocket, looking from it to her friends in a panic.

“So what are we gonna do?” Moka puffed, panting from the strain of holding Dak. (He was still biting her hand) “How do we get out of here!?”

“Well good lady, that’s easy!” Helperbot replied. “I’ll just start the calculations for the jump to Hyperspace.”

“No you won’t!” Colonel T’Saris replied from the screen. “Stay still, we’re going to board you!”

Cali looked around, silently urging her friends to help.

“Do something or we ain’t getting any pirate treasure!” She pleaded.

Tik leapt into action. He snatched a small object from the coffee table, then ran across the stateroom and grabbed Ruto. With one hand, Tik forced Ruto to put her hands behind her back. With the other, Tik pressed an object to Ruto’s throat.

“Tell your men to back off!” Tik yelled at the screen. “I have the rich guy’s daughter and I will kill her, I swear I will!”

After hesitating for way too long, Ruto started acting. She spoke in a very unconvincing monotone:

“Oh, no. Daddy, he’s got me. Please don’t make him angry, Daddy.”

Tik rolled his eyes.

“If you say ‘daddy’ in that stupid city-girl accent again I swear I really will kill you.” he said

Dumbfounded silence fell across both starships. Finally, Pol leaned over to Colonel T’Saris and said:

“Uh… could that actually kill her?”

“I don’t think so…” Colonel T’Saris replied. “It’s a plastic cup.”

Ruto lost her composure and started to laugh. Her father reacted badly to this.

“Enough! You are stealing my ship and kidnapping my daughter! I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your days in prison for this!!” Pol shouted.

“In that case, let’s jump to Hyperspace!” Cali yelled at Helperbot. “Now or never!”

“You got it pal!” Helperbot replied.

With a deep thunderous sound, the Stellaris lurched forward and shot past the traffic control ship. In seconds, the yacht breached Hyperspace and was long gone…

 

[Nikolai]

Wait, in the even the empress is unpopular. Wasn’t she popular like days ago?

 

[Macavity116]

Wait, in the even the empress is unpopular. Wasn’t she popular like days ago?

I was not ready for the flavor text to defeat what little pre-planning this story had.

If I have to guess, I'll bet the Empress lost a lot of support when the decision was made to take power through force of arms.

 

[Macavity116]

Chapter 3: Hearing from Home​

---

Thousands of sentient beings lived and worked at the Imperial Starbase, and the cramped station seemed to amplify the sense of tension filling it. Cali was here alone, leaning against the fuselage of her shuttlecraft as she waited for a late delivery.

She was supposed to be taking delivery of an AI uplink relay, one that would be used to automate the Stellaris even more than the vessel already was. At the moment, the planetoid-sized vessel required a crew of about three hundred to operate properly. If Cali’s upgrades worked, this core would allow the vessel to operate with just ten people at the controls. A small army of droids, controlled by the ship’s central AI, would fill the role of organic crew members.

Or they would, if the damn delivery ever arrived!

Tapping her foot impatiently, Cali looked around. The hangar bay was very busy. Starships of varying size and shape went about their business while a steady stream of passenger ships ferried people away from the Throneworld. A week had passed since the questionable succession, but the unrest on Aix had not died down yet. People were fleeing the system in droves.

“Excuse me! Ensign D’Kara from the Stellaris?” A voice called out from some distance away.

Cali looked around and spotted two people approaching: a Reptilian and a Human. Cali raised her hand in greeting. The two sapients were dressed in civilian engineer outfits, with the insignia of Orbis Customer Synergies stamped over the torso. The Megacorporation employees asked for Cali’s thumbprint, holding out a tablet computer for her to use while they spoke.

“You’re an Alarian, aren’t you?” Said thse Human.

“Yes, sir.” Cali replied. “I know… the pointed ears are a dead giveaway.”

The Human smiled and asked to shake Cali’s hand.

“Forgive me being so forward.” He said. “You literally cannot comprehend how grateful my people are to the Alarians. You gave us a whole star system to live in after we lost our Homeworld! I always make a point to thank an Alarian when I see one!”

“You wouldn’t last long on the Stellaris.” Cali joked. “Our ship has a mostly Alarian crew. You’d go nuts!”

The Human shared a laugh with Cali for a moment and then did a double-take.

“Hold on, you just used one of our expressions.” He said. “Where’d you learn to talk like one of us?”

“I spent six months on Arcadia, the primary Refuge Planet.” Cali confessed. “I wanted to visit the moon, Concorde, but never got around to it.”

The Hazbuzi let out a loud amphibian croak to get Cali’s attention.

“This is a wonderful reunion, but we must get this cargo loaded onto your shuttle now. Can you talk and lift at the same time, or are Humanoids incapable of that?”

So Cali and the two Megacorp workers set about loading the covered cargo onto Cali’s shuttle. She lifted the tarp to visually inspect the AI Uplink relay before signing off on the delivery. As she worked, Cali and the Human talked about the Human Reservation. Naturally, both of the Megacorp workers asked Cali about her time on Arcadia. She was happy to share:

“I lived in Tianjin City for six months.” Cali said. “It’s the biggest city on Arcadia. I wanted to study Human computer technology. Their species is, like, obsessed with Artificial Intelligence. I’ve never seen so many AI platforms in one place before. But after a few weeks, I got side-tracked.”

“I bet I know why.” The Human said. “Spiritualism, right? Someone try to sell you a crystal or essential oils? Did you hear an Islamic call to prayer? Or maybe you just asked someone why the ‘lower-case letter ‘t’ is stuck on the roof of so many buildings?”

Cali laughed.

“You’re talking from experience, aren’t you?” She said. “And yes, it was the second and third one.”

The Hazbuzi shook his head.

“The Galactic Emperors of the past outlawed spiritualism for good reason.” The amphibious alien said. “I’m surprised to hear spiritualism is alive and well despite the Empire’s attempts to suppress it.”

Cali sighed in a nostalgic way.

“I spent two days in the Mindanao Mosque.” She said. “Back then I didn’t have a translator implant, so I just absorbed the sounds of talking and music. Then I found a Buddhist monetary and a Catholic church. I just… wanted more. I think I visited maybe half of all your people’s religious structures… and then I met a holy person.”

The Human laughed again.

“Trust me, my people will never agree on which of those people are holy and which ones are charlatans. Heck, we fight over it sometimes. Who did you meet?”

“I went to the Chinese Culture Center in Tianjin.” Cali explained. “I met Lai Jiahao, the soothsayer.”

“Oh!” The Human replied. “I’ve heard of him.”

“It was an incredible experience.” Cali’s voice got dreamy. “I was talking to a woman, I don’t remember her name. She said she would tell my fortune for a fee. I sat down across from her and the lady was just barely getting started when Lai Jiahao showed up.”

The Human winced.

“Lai takes Chinese Divination very seriously.” He said. “If he thought that lady was misrepresenting the tradition or wasn’t doing it justice… he probably would have lost his temper.”

“He did.” Cali confessed. “He berated the woman in her language, then took me into his temple. He apologized to me and offered to divine my future the proper way. He used something called ‘Geomancy’ to divine my future.”

“Geomancy...” The Human worker said. “So he was guessing your future based on where you were born and raised. Your ancestry and family heritage are taken into account as well.”

“Yeah, that’s it!” Cali confirmed.

“So, what did Lai say?”

At this point, even the Hazbuzi was paying attention. Cali leaned in close to reveal the answer:

“He said I was fated to undergo a trial.” Cali said, her voice dreamy. “My family failed to honor their ancestors, so I was chosen to be tested. Lai said that I’m destined to be at the center of a terrible crisis… a ‘Year of Hell.’ My ancestors are going to watch me, and they’re going to judge everything I do during that time. When the Year of Hell is over, my ancestors will decide if I’m deserving of good fortune.”

Both of the workers swore loudly in their own languages, causing Cali’s translator implant to glitch.

“That is one hell of a fortune.” The Hazbuzi said. “You should have gotten your money back.”

Around this time, the cargo was actually inside Cali’s shuttle and it needed to be secured in place. While they worked, Cali asked the Human for an update on how things were going at the Human Reservation:

She learned that a combined team of Alarians and Humans were planning to create a breeding program for the Nemma, a species of titanic megafauna who lived on the planet Arcadia. These city-sized animals lived in the oceans, where only their heads and shells appeared on the surface. The Human settlers were divided on what to do with these giant creatures, but the decision to breed more of them appeared to be universally popular.

Meanwhile, Alaria did not react well to the news of a disputed succession on Aix. For the umpteenth time in recent memory, protestors flooded into the Capital City, demanding the Holy Fevarian Empire be replaced with a “Galactic Republic.” Alaria was not the only site of pro-democracy fervor. Kel-Azak, Blorg, Scyldari, Humans, and Kobarians were raising hell in the streets all over the galaxy. The Empire as a whole was in a state of general unrest as several vassal-states cried out for either democratic reforms, full independence, or both.

“The new Galactic Empress is going to have her hands full, restoring order.” The Human concluded. “I don’t envy you members of the Imperial Military.”

With that, the Megacorp employees said their goodbyes and left Cali to her business. She secured her valuable cargo and started walking around her shuttle, doing pre-flight checks. Thanks to the cybernetic implants in her brain, Cali could communicate with her ship’s computer via electrical pulses in her own brain. She commanded the ship to run a self-diagnostic simply by thinking the command.

Cali stood in front of the shuttle, watching the reaction control system test-fire its thrusters, when another voice called out to her from behind:

“Oh my goodness! I did it! I found you! Cali! Cali! I’m over here!”

Cali whipped around, trying to see who was calling her name. About fifty meters away, she spotted two Alarians, a man and a woman. The woman was waving her arms at Cali, and the man was gazing at her with an utterly dumbfounded expression. All of the blood drained out of Cali’s face when she recognized the middle-aged woman, who had bronze-colored hair and a dimpled smile.

“Mother!?” Cali cried out. “Seriously!?”

Aris D’Kara bore only a passing resemblance to her tomboyish daughter. She was dressed in a very expensive-looking traveler’s coat that instantly gave away her status as an Alarian aristocrat. The man next to her was an Imperial Navy officer. He was a little too far away for Cali to make out, but she guessed him to be an Admiral. (A short while after this, Cali would learn this guess was slightly mistaken)

Aris picked up the hem of her frilly skirt and speed-walked to her daughter as quickly as she could.

“I can’t believe it! Cali, you’re here!” Aris cried out. “I haven’t seen you in almost two years!”

Aris tried to hug her daughter, but Cali raised an arm to keep her at length.

“It’s been two years, and that’s how you say hello?” Cali said, her voice low and hostile. “I can be the bigger woman and admit I owe you an apology… but you owe me one as well. We are not in a place where we can just ‘hug and be happy,’ mother.”

Aris stopped trying to hug Cali and took a step back, her face contorted between expressions of joy and confusion. Before Aris could say anything, Cali spoke:

“I ran away from home, joined the Imperial Military, and never tried to call you or father. I’m sure I put you through a lot of stress and anguish. I’m sorry for hurting you, mother.”

Cali folded her arms, expecting her mother to reciprocate with an apology of her own. Instead:

“I’m so happy to find you, Cali. Do you live on the Starbase? How soon can you return to Alaria?”

Cali did a double-take.

“Wait, what?” She said. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”

Aris leaned forward, pleading with her daughter.

“Cali, darling. I can smooth things over with your father and with the B’Eren family. We can arrange for the wedding ceremony as soon as you get back! Everyone will be happy and all will be forgiven!”

What little happiness remained in Cali drained away.

“You’re kidding. You’re still trying to match me with that monster?” She said.

Aris made a jerking motion, as though she resisted the urge to slap her daughter.

“Don’t talk about your betrothed like that!” Aris said. “Your marriage will get off to a rocky start, and I just want you to be happy.”

Now feeling the anger boiling up within her, Cali took a step back.

“I am happy, mother. I’m serving on the most important starship in the Galaxy, working at the bleeding edge of near-future military technology. I don’t want to marry anyone, especially that freak you and father are so obsessed with. Now leave me alone.”

Cali tried to walk back to her shuttle, but Aris caught her hand.

“Wait just a moment! You are my daughter, and you will follow your parent’s wishes!”

“I’m twenty now!” Cali raised her voice. “I’m not bound to you anymore, not even legally. Now unhand me before you get arrested for assaulting an Imperial officer!”

Cali pulled away from her mother and boarded her shuttle. Peering out of the cockpit window, Cali spotted her mother talking to the Alarian officer. The man was staring at Cali’s shuttle with a very intense expression. He kept his eyes locked on the shuttle as it took off and vacated the Starbase.

Cali’s military shuttle entered a space traffic lane that would take it back to the military base where Stellaris was docked. Her lane of traffic was empty. The opposing lane, which led away from the Throneworld and into deep space, was completely gridlocked.

 

[HistoryDude]

Yeah, her parents didn't get the memo there at all. I wonder if this will prove to be plot relevant later?

How far are human religions spreading? Just on the new human planet and Alaria?

Why was spiritualism banned? It wouldn't have anything to do with psionics, the Shroud, or possibly Paradox, would it?

 

[Macavity116]

Yeah, her parents didn't get the memo there at all. I wonder if this will prove to be plot relevant later?

Oh you know me too well it seems.

How far are human religions spreading? Just on the new human planet and Alaria?

At an absolute minimum, Human religions and spiritualist ideas have reached 30 planets across the Galaxy due to the initial wave of refugees fleeing Earth and countless waves of migration after the fact.

Why was spiritualism banned?

It's my in-universe explanation for why no empires in the Galaxy are currently using the Spiritualist Ethos. The Holy Fevarian Empire (Which is neither Holy, nor Fevarian, nor an Empire) has actively suppressed and stamped out ethics that do not align with its own. Up until this point in history, the HFE granted the vassal states plenty of self-rule so long as they towed the ethical line.

 

[Von Acturus]

“Cali, darling. I can smooth things over with your father and with the B’Eren family. We can arrange for the wedding ceremony as soon as you get back! Everyone will be happy and all will be forgiven!”

Talk about oblivious. And self centered. Cali's response at the end was just so satisfying.

However Aristocrats are not accustomed to loose, and Cali's obnoxious parents seem to have powerful friends, like Mr-not-quite-Admiral (What is he? Military Intelligence, Secret police?) who we will see again... Let's hope they don't do anything drastic like storming the Stellaris to try and kidnap Cali!

Oh and the Human trivia and human alarian interaction was fascinating! Of course we would be known to the galaxy as the species with thousands of god's, cults and churches!

 

[Macavity116]

Cali's obnoxious parents seem to have powerful friends, like Mr-not-quite-Admiral (What is he? Military Intelligence, Secret police?) who we will see again...

We'll be seeing the mysterious officer in the next chapter. In fact, he's going to be the one who kicks the plot into motion. It has something to do with an object in his possession.

Oh and the Human trivia and human alarian interaction was fascinating! Of course we would be known to the galaxy as the species with thousands of god's, cults and churches!

Thanks! The worldbuilding of the Human-Alarian relationship is kinda-sorta functioning as a sequel hook. While I was writing this story, I came up with an idea for a military science-fiction story set on the planet Arcadia. (Where the Human Reservation is located) Someday I might revisit the idea if I'm still enamored with it.

Spoiler: Possible future Stellaris story?