The 11th Record of the Spire of Golom

[Marmaduke]

Baron Hoyt the Third, at your service, milord. Pleasant evening and all that. Wanna duel to the death?

Beg your pardon?

Just standard protocol for Cheehot nobility. Don't pay attention. We are glad to meet you today, Ambassador Hoyt.

Ambassador Mister Baron Hoyt the Third, please.

Ambassador Mister Baron Hoyt the Third. And you can sheathe the sword, really. There are force fields all over the place, anyway. Ambassador Tsogh and myself put them to the test.

Hmm, do we have business to settle here? This is a peace conference, isn't it?

Well, you were awarded the job of ambassador here. We assume you know as much as we do.

Vous oubliez les paramètres fonctionnels spécifiques de l'espèce à laquelle appartient le Baron, mes amis. Je pense à l'espérance de vie sentiente...

Yeah, indeed, everything is connected your milordship. Magnificent. Hoyt the Second told me about our arrival on this moon back then. He knew Hoyt the First had indeed been selected to address grave diplomatic issues on the behalf of the Cheehot Imperium, the Eternal One, Shiny Is Its Name, Yipee! We can settle any bad business here and now. We Cheehot knights and assorted knightlings support our brethren in the consolidated Canthari Planet-States. They stole the Lozavata space that you liberated from the Xanyr. Well, your problem. You just had to protect these poor little Lozavata flowers with those big, pointy, bark-penetrating claws of yours. Damn, so late. Time to sleep I guess. Cheers, people.

...

I had heard about those Cheehot idiosyncrasies, but this one is a basket case.

Could be a play. I heard it makes their life easier, not more difficult, to function on a different time scale. Anyway, this one seems to have a very short tempo. Temper. Both.

What was he talking about? Referencing the conquest of Lozavata space by the Canthari... That was, what, a few years before your conquest of the Great Xanyr Hegemony?

Ah, we did not conquer. You should know. Do not misconstrue us as conquerors. We have no desire to send police in Xanyr space. We asserted our domination over their ruling structure. They kneeled, it was good enough. We saved them from the Canthari, in a fashion. There are worse fates.

***

Back when the liberated Lozavata requested a defense pact, I was bleeding influence due to the six frontier outposts being maintained, the humiliation inflicted by the Belmacosa Primacy and a lot of building in the core worlds. I chose not to accept their offer, but what it really meant is that their Northern neighbour thought he could swallow them without me reacting, which is exactly what happened. Had I agreed to the defense pact, it would not have prevented me from going to war against the Xanyr and my superior military might have frightened the Grand Entente into finding other venues of expansion.

I could have chosen to confront the Canthari right after they invaded the North of the Nest Region, but I prefer to deal with closer threats first.

1. The Xanyr (DIS 117 - 118)

The war was short and eventless. The utter destruction of the Xanyr fleet and the siege of their capital homeworld was enough to end this, once and for all.

 

[Marmaduke]

Three Faces did not enjoy the unparalleled popular support that Ominous Stare had in her late career. He knew he could not renounce her mostly pacifist foreign politics without rallying even the citizens who did not vote for him. The geopolitical need to assess Aego power over Xanyr space was compelling and easy to sell. After the victory against the Xanyr, Three Faces needed another war, and he wanted to attack the weak Tzynn or the Uva-Xavani. Attacking traditional allies of the Aegoi would actually help him internally to quash his opponents and to convince the citizens that further militarization of the society was required. However, all the surveys pointed out that the citizens were not ready for such a move. Instead, Three Faces decided to pick a fight with the most powerful entity in the Southern Quadrant of the Spire: the Figyar Guard. According to an intelligence report provided by Senior Two, the best Aegoi master spy, the Figyar Guardians were unable to use most of their ships. Their species had devolved into barbarism.
It was still not good enough for the veterans that collectively held power in the Shadow of the Dust, so Three Faces had to create a reason. Dr. War and Possession, one of the foremost scientific authorities in the Shadow of the Dust, gave him one with his wildly popular work connecting the dots between the Cthulh religion, the hints of genocide in Still Wind Country and what could be hypothesized of Figyar culture and mythology. The war was engineered on the basis of the need to investigate in Figyar space about odious crimes. The Figyar had refused any independent investigation into their space, and Senior Two had provided some '"proof" that the Figyar were preparing to go to war against the young species of Still Wind Country. In the end, the Figyar Guardians sent a cease and desist notice to Three Faces, and the Lord Protector twisted their words for the public. He had his new war, at last.

Of course, the report by Senior Two was dead wrong.

The master spy vanished when news of the first space battles arrived in Hekat-Atho. The Figyar knew how to operate their ancient machines, enough to mount a reasonable defense of their worlds. There were a tense few weeks in the early part of the war, when the Figyar extraorbital strike forces destroyed four Aego space stations. But they did not dare attack the heavily fortified Hekat-Atho system, where battleships were being built. The Figyar had also lost the ways of war. Their navy was crushed by the new models of Aego warships.

The second surprise was the resistance that the Guardians opposed when the Aego assault troops descended upon their worlds. Whole armies died against divisions upon divisions of gene-warriors, dreaded monsters who ripped apart Aego exosquelets as if they were made of paper. General Sent By Mercy died on Samderaan I, surrounded by his praetorian guard. A far-fetched theory posits that Three Faces knew that this was the probable outcome and chose to sacrifice his first invasion army in order to get rid of Sent By Mercy. I do not concur. Millions of Aegoi died on Samderaan I.

The destruction of the Figyar navy in the first year of the war was a blow the Holy Guardians never recovered from. After a slow war and the eventual invasion of the Celestial Thone, their capital homeworld, they agreed to open their borders to Aego-Cthulh investigators (the Uva-Xavani had refused to join the investigation committee about interstellar crimes in Still Wind Country).
Two important events marked the end of the war.
The first one was the creation of the Figyar Alliance of Commonalities, a friendlier state than the Figyar Guard, and one that had renounced the old Figyar religion. It controlled a large part of the old Figyar territory, though not its richest planets.
The second event was the discovery of more proof of Figyar wrongdoings, actual proof this time, to the delight of Three Faces. Cthulh epigraphists reported that Cthulh and Figyar religions had indeed common ground. While the Cthulh held the Eye, the Figyar were guarding the Mouth and the Limb. And it appeared that the Figyar had served the Thing in a way that involved feeding entire species to it. Figyar priests confessed (under durance). Thousands of years ago, the Figyar had committed awful crimes against intelligence. Their propitiatory cult reached its purpose, allegedly, saving the galaxy from the deepest of horrors. The places where these crimes had reached their climax were sanctuarised and abandoned.
A highly sanitized version of this story was distributed by Aego diplomats to certain partners in the galaxy. Three Faces dismissed Figyar religion as a death cult. As an act of defiance, he ordered the colonisation of Baltris, one of the Figyar holy worlds.

The New Bolish Empire: A Secret History, Initiate Henz of Neyt-Alyss​

***

2. The Figyar Guardians (DIS 123 - 135)

 

[Marmaduke]

Wars have this quality: they are attention magnets. Privately, Three Faces showed little enthusiasm for their management, though. He dedicated most of his energy to internal matters.

The research on Dust
Before her death, Ominous Stare had opened an interplanetary network of scientific centers dedicated to the research on Dust. This network was not completely secret, but its actual research was largely shielded from the Aego population. Dust is a very sensitive topic, and it became even more difficult to publicly investigate potential modifications of the relationship between Aegoi and Dust after the Aego Clarus faction voluntarily renounced this bond. By the time Three Faces received a full briefing by the scientists in charge, progress in genetics and nanotechnology had allowed Aego scientists (and their alien helpers) to pierce some of the secrets of this substance. They were on the verge of liberating the Aego species from its symbiotic addiction to the drug, while not compromising their cognition, motricity and ethical buildup. In fact, the scientists hoped that within a few years they would be able to vaccinate all Aegoi against the need for the Dust. It would allow the Aegoi to live more easily on a variety of planets.
Three Faces was outraged. He aborted the vaccination programme and forcefully redirected the efforts of the scientists on another path. Both Dust and the Aego genome were modified heavily, in order to reinforce the resilience of the Aego body and also to alter the Aego biochemistry, feeding the individuals with supply loops of confidence and pride. The change was implemented throughout Aego space through the supply of the Dust. The positive emotion carried by this brand of Dust made it difficult for Aegoi to disagree with the change. Only rare individuals remained unchanged.

The Wind-Raising of Unith
There had already been rare tests of planet climate-manipulation. Using infrastructure built before his time, Three Faces launched multiple projects to alter the weather and climate on planetary scales. Only one of these efforts was directed at an inhabited planet: Unith Prime was a continental-type world, who had been colonised in order to occupy strategic space between the Western and Central parts of Still Wind Country. The place was cold and at times unbearably wet. What was worse, the Dust was almost impossible to manufacture there. Many colonists were choosing to relocate elsewhere.
Three Faces decided to launch the terraformation while billions of colonists were still living on the planet. For about ten years, the conditions of life would become twice as difficult on Unith Prime. However, the potential result would be the transformation of the planet into a much more beautiful planet.

The purification of the Aego race
The revolt of the Aego Clarus was an heresy against the Dust, and one that the Protector Lord intended to correct. His vision for the Shadow of the Dust was that of an empire united by its citizenry of deadly Aegoi, in their desert planets, enforcing their will on the slave species of other worlds. However, he knew he had to move carefully. What he had in mind was, after all, another large scale genocide in Still Wind Country, but one inflicted by his Aegoi against the traitor ones. He was about to start the propaganda efforts in DIS 136 when something stopped the death machine.

The New Bolish Empire: A Secret History, Initiate Henz of Neyt-Alyss​

 

[Twighlight Array 17]

Fortunate for the heretics. I hope my people, the Yapathi, are doing well.

 

[Marmaduke]

I will resume writing this weekend. I just read that old saves will not function anymore with Heinlein patch and I intend to advance the AAR significantly before Heinlein; the idea would then be to let the reader(s) of the AAR decide the fate of the Galaxy during a diplomatic summit (on the diplomatic moon).
Further information about the Yapathi is on the way.

 

[Marmaduke]

...

Are you having a good time, Lord Murder?

Dear 17. I am no Lord. Please. Call me Professor Murder. That is my public name, now.

I have never understood your thing with public names. Can't you just have names? Nest names, and first names to distinguish you from your nest mates?

Things are the way they are. Look at these stars. They are. Our names are.

Don't mind my little tease. It's all fine with me. Our Imperium respects local customs.

It is easier to respect local customs of local nations you have no power over, isn't it?

...

My name is Hoyt. Hoyt the Fourth, Sovereign Under The Frond, He Who Dwells On The Holy Moon.

Hello Hoyt. What happened to Hoyt Three?

Old age, with a helping.

A helping?

The auto-translator may have misinterpreted. It involved some special sauce, and assassination.
But it's okay! I'm here!
I think I'm here.
How was the summit? Is everything settled?

Nothing is settled.

I can help! Let's agree to peace between your empires, shall we?

Our empires are in peace, Ambassador Mister.

So far.

Messieurs dames.

Hi, Votre Excellence Kap.

What does it mean, "so far"?
I speak in the name of the Shadow of the Dust.
We wish everlasting peace between our nation and the Yapathi Imperium.

So far.

Aw aw aw!

***

In the 130's DIS, the Yapathi Imperium is, in my opinion, the single most powerful nation in the Spire of Golom. They have managed to vassalize the xenophobic Justkaan empire, and are now the undisputed great power in the Northern half of the galaxy. The Yapathi block has perhaps twice as many pops as the Aego block (~700 to ~350 in the mid-130's). The Dyss empire itself is probably less powerful. In this context, I can see some tension rising.

 

[Marmaduke]

After the Lord Protector died, many Aegoi publicly expressed the desire for a return to more serene policies, while others argued that one needed to finish the work started by Three Faces. Three main factions were vying for power.

The Hunting Party had by now no connection with Furud. They actually bemoaned the strong xenophilia streak in the first colony of Aegokind. Billions of Snakeoids were living peacefully next to billions of Aegoi. There were tensions for the Hunting Party to exploit, but the governor enforced peaceful coexistence. The Hunting Party means to return the Aegoi to their role as hunters; not scientists, not engineers, but predators of the Dust.

The Mercy Party had no formal leader but managed to gather the support of many Aegoi outside of the army. The lack of organisation meant the party had no real platform; it shared some traditional Aego values with the Hunting Party but was considerably less violent in their approach to internal matters. The Academy in Mareenius Prime acted as the temple of what at times looked like a cult dedicated to defunct General Mercy.

The Just Sky Party was opposed to the Mercy Party on the basis of possible treason by the General Mercy in his late career. This cadre of high level industrial managers suspected foul play amongst both the Navy and the Army. Their requests for investigations had always be turned down by Three Faces; they hoped to get luckier with his successor. Their main platform was a large scale endeavour; they wanted the Shadow of the Dust to keep investigating the complex history of the Spire of Golom. Learning that the Figyar had committed so many crimes, and that they probably planned to eliminate the Aegoi, was a game changer for them.

Dr War and Possession, by then the governor of Hekat, succeeded to Three Faces. A brilliant individual in her own right, well-known from the citizenry thanks to her insights into the painful history of this region of the galaxy, she had positioned herself as a continuator of old policies. Her strategy as Lady Protector was one of compromise inside the Shadow of the Dust and of brutal aggression outside, but always for sound strategic reasons in the context of the unabated growth of potential threats such as the Dyss Empire.

She was the third ruler of the Shadow of the Dust in the DIS calendar, after Ominous Stare (0 - 111) and Three Faces (111 - 136). By this time, both the population and the economy of the empire had considerably expanded. The growth of the Aego population had marginalised the alien species, who had been confined to their homeworlds and forbidden to travel, but mostly left alone as long as tax was paid. Trade agreements with junior partners such as the Sothic Impulse and the Great Xanyr Hegemony were bringing in huge shipments of minerals and energy. Those surpluses needed to be put to good use.

One of the first decisions the new Lady Protector took was to terraform ever more planets. The climate and biome of Unith Prime, after decades of careful engineering, had reached that perfect spot. It had truly become the paradise promised by Three Faces. Now, more planets that had been colonised in Still Wind Country under Ominous Stare's rule in her flag-planting urge would be improved. Additional planets, on the edges of Aego space, would be made into good strongholds.

The giant shipyards in Hekat had been commissioned to build giant battleships and they were functioning nonstop. The Aego Navy, even after the heavy losses incurred in the Just War, aka the War Against the Ghost-Makers (as propagandists had later termed the First Aego-Figyar War), was one of the most powerful in the Galaxy.

After the war, Aego investigators explored Figyar space unopposed at last, and they managed to find the answers they were looking for in an uninhabited system called Ar'Doqd…

The Lady Protector ordered the Second Murder to escort the Inner Eye particle specialists who engineered the takedown of the shield. The operation was successful, and no threat emerged, only further information about the crimes of the Figyar and their accomplices.

Surely this secret base in the middle of the old Figyar space hinted at a co-conspiracy uniting the Guardians and the Primacy. The Just Sky Party felt vindicated. As would have been expected, the Figyar stonewalled the Aego officers sent to Romsir III, their new capital world. The Shadow of the Dust had the means to seize Ar'Doqd II in order to further its investigations, but that would have been a poor play in regards to interstellar customs. Dr War and Possession chose to bid her time, and to declare war to the Figyar Guardians at the first lawful occasion.

The New Bolish Empire: A Secret History, Initiate Henz of Neyt-Alyss​

 

[Twighlight Array 17]

Good to see the empire thriving, as well as conquering some xenophobes. Interesting new Lord Protector...

 

[Marmaduke]

The revelations of Ar'Doqd II confirmed the Lady Protector's direst hypotheses. She deemed probable that the malevolent Belmacosa race was complicit of Figyar past atrocities. Surely, their opposition to research in the artificial intelligent field had no other purpose than stifling the technological and economic growth of the Aego civilization. Dr War and Possession launched a program to build billions of synthetic servants, once she received assurances that proper failsafes would ensure they would never be able to pose any threat to Aego citizens.

The back of the Figyar Guard had already been broken. The second Just War (DIS 148 - 149) was an uneventful demonstration of force. The conflict started after Ambassador Braque, on behalf of the Guard, uttered a threatening statement regarding the "forbidden" world of Fujeau, where Aego colonists had landed and were looking for other hints of past genocides. The Just Sky Party petitioned the Lady Protector and Dr War and Possession agreed the Shadow of the Dust would declare war to the remains of the Guard.

Minokh II was the planet where the Limb was kept under a gigantic dome structure that functioned as a sacred place. Unwilling to destroy it and possibly waken its owner, Dr War and Possession ordered a full scale evacuation of the planet. Locals were allowed to flee on old barges. Those few renegades who stayed (priests of the Thing, spies) were systematically found and killed by swarms of hunter-killer drones. The system was then turned over to the Figyar Alliance of Commonalities, with instructions to leave the planet untouched.

"We have a future now." reacted Dr War and Possession in a public victory speech. "They will not do upon us what they inflicted upon other, lesser races."
On Victory Day, double rations of Dust were distributed all over the Shadow.

The New Bolish Empire: A Secret History, Initiate Henz of Neyt-Alyss
​

***
As you may have guessed, I am now trying to create the conditions for an AI revolt. I refrained from researching jump drive technology for this reason.

 

[Marmaduke]

Just a FYI, taking a few days off due to lack of time. I have a couple updates to write.

 

[Marmaduke]

The great powers of the Spire of Golom (the Yapathi, the Dyss) failed to react to the wars started by the Aegoi in the first half of the 2nd century DIS for multiple reasons:
- the Shadow of the Dust had always taken great care to involve itself in interstellar diplomacy and to avoid aggressive posturing, which had made all the difference compared to, say, the homicidal Jusstkan felines; most of the time, there was a closer and easier target than the Aego empire;
- the Aego propaganda was top-notch and, at the time, it was commonplace to mention Figyar genocides in newsholos everywhere; the downside, so to speak, is that Aego conquerors left conquered worlds mostly untouched, most of the time, and did not officially annex them, again, most of the time;
- these great powers were busy conquering sectors left and right;
- these great powers had conflicting interests.

For example, in DIS 148 the Dyss Empire resumed its conquests, this time on a southbound path that may lead it to clash with the Shadow of the Dust, but not in the short term.

The Dyss attack against the United Panaxala League was a bad omen for their Uva-Xavani allies, who by the way had grown colder and colder towards Aego ambassadors. The Uva-Xavani, devout pacifists, did not buy into the Aego war propaganda. Within a couple of years they would cancel their agreements with the Shadow of the Dust.

The Uva-Xavani defection stung because they had been the Dust's longest independent partners in the South. It felt like betrayal in the ruling circles of Hekat, while the citizenry still considered the Uva-Xavani species as a noble race that should be protected and listened to. What is worst, their territory extended deep into Still Wind Country, and they now blocked peaceful trade and transportation between the West and the Middle of this region of space. Dr War and Possession immediately ordered Aego diplomats to try to renew the old agreements with the Uva-Xavani; she hoped that it was just a temporary setback in Aego-Uva-Xavani relations.

She was elated, the same year (DIS 150) when the two Northern behemoths, the Dyss Empire and the Yapathi Imperium, clashed around an obscure system somewhere in the Northeast. Their conflict was not yet formal and armed, but it cleared the way for Dust Space to grow in Still Wind Country.

How It All Came To Be: Attempt At An Explanation, by Golden Beak​

 

[Marmaduke]

"I have a pretty clear idea of our priorities. The Figyar Alliance of Commonalities has repeatedly failed to comply with our wish to inspect the Mouth. I suspect them to feed Dust Loyalists among them to this Thing.
- But, Lady, the Alliance of Commonalities are our allies! They repeatedly forswore the old Guard ways. They have put a bounty on Holy Guard Braque!
- Illusions. I firmly believe the Guard is alive in the Alliance of Commonalities. They refuse to share their technology with us, who liberated them from their cruel religion. In their hearts, they still dream of mass murders.
- If I may. You are right. The Figyar need to be dealt with, once and for all. However, they can wait a few years. On the other hand, the Dyss Empire is busy at the time, and we need to take advantage of that. The Mirovandia Consortium will be their next target after the Panaxala. We need to preempt them."

Transcript of the Inner Council​

***
Foul-mouthed hardly describes Mirovandia temper. They have been hurling insults at Aego ambassadors for decades now. In DIS 152, I decide to conquer them in order to block Dyss advance to the South. Threats in the West are much less powerful, and will be dealt later.

Their forces were not entirely ready.

First conquest, DIS 153. A demonstration of force. General Wings of Mercy and her warriors will prove their value later when they will defeat vastly superior numbers of Mirovandian soldiers in the Cloud Forest, homeworld of the Consortium. The Navy employs another fleet such as the one shown hovering above Many Woods.

DIS 156, end ot the war: the Dyss Empire is hardly blocked, but the Aego block is in a much better position to control the regions of the South Quadrant closer to the Core. The Lady Protector hands control of liberated planets to the Inari avians, former servants of the Consortium. The Republican Inari States are soon going to accept client-state status.

 

[Twighlight Array 17]

It seems that the Dyss and yapathi shall soon be in war. I know who I'm cheering for.

 

[Marmaduke]

In a secret room in Hekat, DIS 162...

"A Dyss aggression against the Yapathi is quite possible before the end of the century", said Initiate Xen, the Lady Protector's most trusted councilor. "The Dyss may want to usurp the Yapathi's role as the preeminent great power." He motioned for a chronomap to appear.
"The timeline of events is backing this up. The Dyss know that Yapathi wars have diminished the operational strength of their Navy; they have started to gain an interest in the Western and Northern quadrants. Their forays were met with hostile answers in Kenjodan space, in the West, but they managed to convince the Adeex to sign a non-aggression treaty. The Adeex neighbour the Yapathi.
What's more, their war against the Panaxala-UvaXavani axis is progressing smoothly. In DIS 155, they even managed to entice the Belmacosa Primacy to join them. We have to assume that Panaxala research in artificial sentience triggered the Belmacosae into action, but the timing is very convenient and we suspect the Dyss Intelligence Service was involved somehow.
Last but not least, their conquest of the remains of the Mirovandia Consortium is both a blow to our containment strategy and confirmation that it was the appropriate course of action. The Dyss are probably wondering at which point they should stop progressing in the South and turn upon their erstwhile friends in the Yapathi Imperium."
The Lady Protector nodded and motioned for the advisor to sit down.
"Much of these wars are out of our reach. We could try to actively blockade the Dyss Empire. We could start a war against them. However, the opportunity cost would be too big. What we do need, is ensure that the unwholesome Figyar religion is wiped once and for all. However..."
The members of the Inner Council nodded. One of them completed their leader's sentence.
"However, we first need to deal with the Uva-Xavani, who now prevent even our civilian traffic to cross their space in Still Wind Country in order to reach our Western colonies.
- We shall not attack the Uva-Xavani, my young friend. The citizens are not yet ready for that. No. We shall find new pathways between the West and the Middle. We are going to invade the Tzynn. They are not our friends anymore, as you know well. Fearful of our growth, they have started to trade our secrets with other nations. The invasion of Tzynn space will allow us to unify our space again. It is the price to pay to avoid a bloodier and more cruel conflict."

Dr War and Possession was about to dismiss the assembly when she spotted an agitation.

"Speak your mind!
- Thank you, my Lady. It is my belief the Dyss have not been sufficiently warned of the consequences of their encroachment into our legitimate zone of control. We should send their ambassador back with a strongly worded message.
- That was a poor advice. My policy is to only send hostile messages to nations I intend either to never fight or to fight in a close future. Haven't you paid attention to the military intelligence report? We are not powerful enough to take on the Dyss, the Belmacosa, the Figyar and who knows else at the same time! No... Let's send the message to the Uva-Xavani, rather. They have stopped all deliveries of merchandise to us and they are trying to gather allies; let's warn third parties about the consequences of helping the Uva-Xavani. Hopefully, our old partners will find sense and come back into our fold."

***

As soon as the Uva-Xavani decided to close their borders, many Aego systems became effectively enclaved. Conquering the Tzynn Empire (in red) offers a way out. In DIS 163, Dr War and Possession summons Imperatrix Torba'Inrab to Hekat-Atho to discuss the permanent opening of her frontiers. Faced with a refusal to comply with this humiliating demand, the war can start...

 

[Marmaduke]

During the course of the war against the Tzynn Empire, Dr. War and Possession fell ill. The disease was no common event; it was one instance of the Space Plague, a very rare military disease of unknown origin. This particular strain had been modified to disguise itself within certain innocuous genetic sequences. Initiate Xen immediately suspected foul play by enemies with access to top genetic technologies and an organisation able to reach even the most protected individual of the Shadow of the Dust. He did not think the Tzynn were involved. Dr. War and Possession agreed with this assessment; her gut feeling was that the Yapathi were the culprits. In the end, the Dust saved the Lady Protector. She absorbed what should have been a lethal dose and managed to overcome the disease. The Intelligence Service was entrusted with the mission to track the individuals or organisations responsible, but no definitive proof of Yapathi guilt could be found. Dr. War and Possession advised the Inner Council that she wanted them, if another assassination attempt on her ever succeeded, to support Initiate Xen for Protectorship.
The war went well. Initiate Xen had taken the mantle of First Delegate of the Lady Protector while she was sick, and supervised all operations from Hekat. Two years after the declaration of war, a gloating Initiate Xen presented a recovery gift to Dr. War and Possession: the surrender of Imperatrix Torba'Inrab. The Tzynn Empire kept a small territory and most of its possessions were given to a servant state called the Interstellar Tzynn Polity which, of course, granted full access to Aego traffic. Executive Korba'Keldi, the ITP top leader, was in fact an agent of the Aego Intelligence Service. He petitioned for protectorate status quickly after the war.

In DIS 167, the leaders of the Shadow of the Dust were surprised by another development: the Belmacosa Primacy attacked the Associated Figyar Nations, the successor state of the Guard. Dr. War and Possession was convinced that an age old alliance between both races had devolved into a free fight to cover up the traces of their common crimes and get the loot.

The same year, Dr. War and Possession was re-elected. All three main parties supported her bid.

In DIS 170, the Lady Protector decided to complete the conquest of the Mirovandia Consortium, to deny the Dyss any further encroaching into the southern quadrant of the galaxy. The final land battle, in DIS 173, saw the army led by General Wings of Mercy annihilate twice as many combatants led by the infamous General Rhizome of Grey, while in the neighbouring Polgara system, the admiral of the Third Murder, Initiate Regn, defeated the 1st Corolla led by Petals of Ivory.

The Mirovandia Consortium was allowed to keep a small territory.

In DIS 175, perhaps sensing that her death was around the corner, the Lady Protector stepped up her game by launching simultaneously two small wars, against the remains of the Tzynn and Figyar independent nations. Both wars were complete successes. The Tzynn surrendered in DIS 177 and the Figyar in DIS 178. Both General Sent by Mercy and Initiate Regn became wildly popular figures, especially after the conquest of the Celestial Throne.

In DIS 179, the Figyar Polity accepted vassal status.

On the internal front, from DIS 167 to DIS 171, a series of incidents involving synthetics ensured that First Delegate Xen, once the manager of the Good Robot Program, fell a bit out of favour. The integrity of the code had been compromised. Initiate Xen thought he had solved the problem by ordering a reboot operation on all Class A synthetics in DIS 170, but the incidents kept occurring after that, though at a lesser rate.

In DIS 177, the Belmacosa Primacy officially threatened the Shadow of the Dust regarding their use of intelligent robots. At this time, there were 68 billion synthetic units under Dust rule, and the Lady Protector scoffed at the pitiful posturing of a Primacy based at the other side of the Galaxy, already beaten at least once by the Yapathi Imperium, and unable to muster enough forces to enforce their will.

A few years passed by without much action, until a fateful day of DIS 181.

What can be said about the end of the life of Dr. War and Possession, the Lady Protector who had initiated so many successful wars and extended the reach of the Shadow in all directions? She was purported to be working on a new masterwork, but death prevented her to complete and broadcast it. The nation was enjoying the fruits of peace. It could not last long, of course...

The New Bolish Empire: A Secret History, Initiate Henz of Neyt-Alyss​

 

[Ydrgn]

It's a great story. I love your attention to detail. Keep it up!