The Cabal - a Stellaris AAR

[danivon]

Background

This AAR is set around the Rihi'Naran Cabal, a highly militaristic and authoritarian civilisation that has developed from a set of warring clans on the planet Sutharia in the Suth-Kasa system.

The Rihi'Nara have just encouraged* their neighbours, the Jackly and the Sathweer, to join under their leadership in the "Rihi'Naran Protectorate", and an age of interstellar exploration is about to begin.

The Jackly arose on the alpine planet of Bafsch in Halda'na system. Like the Rihi'Nara they are authoritarian, but are also spiritual and xenophilic. At the start they are slightly more influential than the Rihi'Nara, and so would take on leadership of the Protectorate in 2220 if that doesn't change.

The Sathweer evolved on Freebooter's Reef, an alpine planet orbiting the Beznar sun. There is a moon in their system, Beznar IIa, which is potentially colonisable by them although as a savannah world would be less habitable for their aquatic species. They are fanatically authoritarian and also xenophilic, and start off with lower diplomatic weight than the other Protectorate members.

The Rihi'Nara risk being boxed in by their subordinates, there are three nearby systems with possible colony worlds, but they are adjacent to the other empires. The hyperlanes only give the Rihi'Nara one route directly out to free space.

The galaxy, which the Rihi'Nara call the "Chariot Wheel" is a barred spiral. It remains to be seen how many hyperlanes go between the two arms. It is suggested that there may be links near to Cabal space, but this would need verification through exploration surveys.

I will be telling the story of the Rihi'Nara using some key characters as they are involved in the game events, a departure from my previous AAR (The Zenak Unity - Our awakening) which was a high level view of the protagonust epre

* The form of encouragement was one of "Join under our leadership or we will attack"

 

[Nikolai]

Subbed!

 

[Falhxer]

Lets see where this goes. The premise sounds interesting.

 

[danivon]

The Great Harbour Port, Sutheria: 2200.01.01

Hannakon strode into the Warrior King's Hall. He didn't feel as confident as he was trying to look. King Veltassa had a fierce reputation, and was not known for his patience with non-military servants. Being a scientist, Hannakon was unsure why he had been summoned at such haste.

"Kneel and await your Lord!" commanded the throne-guard. Hannakon complied, fixing his gaze on the floor as he listened to the heavy steps of the great ruler and his retinue. After several minutes of jostling and huffing, finally the King waved a hand to his guard to indicate his readiness"

"Arise and pay heed to your Lord!" came the command. Hannakon stood and faced the throne, but made sure to only look directly at the space below the imposing ruler's feet.

"You are Hannakon the Stargazer?" said King Veltassa.

His mouth dry, he could barely speak loud enough to be heard, but Hannakon croaked his reply, "Yes, my Lord, I am he"

"The Host* requires your service, Stargazer. It is time for you to go into the void. You will join the crew of the Bathar the Amicable vessel, and you will go to Stenbork system. You are to document the system fully, and establish whether the moon around the fourth planet can be made habitable. You will make haste, as we do not wish the Jackly to claim the system ahead of us. Do not fail us."

"Yes, my Lord. Thank you" said Hannakon, with as much humility as he could muster. Inside his emotions were roiling. At last, an opportunity to explore the universe! Bathar the Amicable was the Host's only interstellar exploration ship, and it had accompanied the fleet of corvettes that had been sent to gain the agreement of the Jackly and the Sathweer to accept Rihi'Nara protection. Haghonon the Maniacal had been the scientific officer on that mission, but was now engaged in studying biodiversity at the Colloquium. After a decade in the shadows, Hannakon was finally getting the chance to serve the Host.

"Depart" called the throne-guard. Hannakon bowed deeply, and backed his way out of the room carefully. It was a grave insult to turn one's back on the King. Only when the hall doors closed ahead of him could Hannakon relax and break into a grin. He almost jumped in his excitement. Then elation gave way to apprehension. It would take over 130 days to reach Steinbork, and then he would have to direct the survey of all assets in the system, before the Jackly or the Sathweer could complete the same task. If he didn't complete his assignment, he could be sure that punishment would follow.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sharp voice. "Hannakon the Stargazer?" said a brisk female in naval uniform.

"Aye" he replied

"Come with me, sir. The Amicable awaits your presence. We leave now."

Within an hour, he had been hurried into a swamp-car, driven to the shuttle-pad on the outskirts of the capital, and strapped into a padded seat as the engines roared below him. Inside four hours he was aboard the Bathar the Amicable and receiving his briefing as the exploration vessel started to move toward the Halda'na hyperlane entrance. During the brief journey, his escort had been silent, other than to introduce herself ("Sub-captain Gar'Ell, they call me 'the Fearless'") and give instructions. He had forgotten just how officious and aloof the military could be toward civilians, but Gar'Ell was by far the least personable officer he had met in years.

The Ship's captain, Arinshok the Destructor, was thankfully more relaxed. A veteran of the last civil war, which had ended in a total Cabal victory ten years ago, he walked Hannakon around the ship and showed him the main facilities. With a crew of only five, the Amicable was still small and cramped. Luckily for Hannakon, as the lead on the mission, he was allocated a comfortable cabin with its own bathing room. Only Arinshok had more generous quarters.

As the ship cruised through his home solar system, Hannakon spent most of his time at the viewing portals, entranced by the sights as they passed through. The ship used both Dirmug's Frontier (the large gas giant that the homeworld of Sutharia orbited) and the Suth-Kasa as gravity wells to gather velocity before heading out to the Oort Cloud where the hyperlane entrance lay. Arinshok joined him most days after his shift ended, and brought a bottle of D'ro when he did, so the two males would sit and drink and talk into the evening. While they had little background in common, they developed a mutual respect over alcohol and a love of space.

It was clear to Hannakon why his mission was so urgent. While the Host was the dominant member of the Protectorate, the Jackly and Sathweer has easy access to planets they could colonise. The Rihi'Nara did not. The most suitable candidate was Stenbork IVa, an ocean world according to deep space scans. But Stenbork lay on the other side of Halda'na, the Jackly home system. Intelligence had not been clear as to whether the Jackly would seek to expand there, or instead to Hixaros where another potential colony site could be found, and the Cabal has decided to move quickly to avoid any risk of losing a key avenue to expand.

*To clarify, "Rihi'Nara Cabal" is the name that the ruling clan give to themselves as leaders of the Rihi'Nara, and the "Host" is what the Rihi'Nara call their whole society.

 

[Rensslaer]

Like a race to see who gets out of the neighborhood first!

Rensslaer

 

[danivon]

The Great Harbour Port, Sutheria: 2200.02.24

The whole city was gathered in the streets as the novel comet streaked across the sky. That it was at it's closest point to Sutheria on the adulthood birthday of Lynntyl the Host Warrior* only added to the auspicious nature of the event. Veltassa the Warrior King granted all workers a holiday, and the ceremony to anoint Lynntyl as the formal heir as he reached full maturity was held in on the Grand Dock where tens of thousands of Rihi'Nara could watch and pay fealty.

*"Host Warrior" is the epithet of the King or Queen's eldest child, who will succeed to the throne in due course, but until then is officially the commander of the Cabal's military.

[darn it! lost the picture]

 

[danivon]

Halda'na hyperlane exit, Stenbork System: 2200.04.25

As the Amicable came through the gateway, Hannakon gasped. Stenbork was a beautiful sight, and he was among the first Rihi'Nara to ever see it. Three bright blue-white stars swept around each other, while nine planets danced around them. The Halda'na system was very similar to that of Suth-Kasa, with a single red Class-M star accompanied by a gas giant and a few rocky planets. But this was spectacular. Hannakon eagerly anticipated the work of calculating the orbital mechanics and learning about the many new worlds.

As they had travelled, two major pieces of news had come through on the subspace transmissions. Firstly, of the comet that had lit up the skies of Sutheria, which Hannakon was disappointed to have missed - it would not appear again for several lifetimes. Secondly, that the Jackly had sent their only exploration vessel to Hixaros, leaving the Rihi'Nara alone to try and claim Stenbork for themselves.

As Hannakon and the crew moved to their stations, the ship's alerts sounded

"Unidentified signal. Unidentified signal. Subspace radiation received. Decoding. Unidentified signal...."

Hannakon sat at his console. The ship AI was already attempting to convert the message into an understandable form. The senders had made it easier by including large anounts of mathematical data and conversions. With Hannakon's guidance the AI pieced together the contents over the rest of the day.

It was from another star-faring race. An old one.

 

[danivon]

The Great Harbour Port, Sutheria: 2200.10.05

After several months of analysis and discussion, finally the Cabal made the news known to the rest of the Host. Not only were there other star-faring races out there, but at least one of them was very old. While the Qwe'Pulci appeared relatively benign to other life forms, they were aloof and elusive. The source of the message was identified as being in the Ciaciothea system, near to the galactic core.

Basic messages had been passed back and by pointing transceivers towards that region of space, but the Qwe'Pulci seemed reticent to give anything more away. What was clear was that these mammals had a far advanced technology, which lead the Cabal to conclude they held a vastly superior military capacity.

With only one exploration vessel in service, King Veltessa ordered the construction of a second. It was imperative that the Cabal know more about their neighbourhood, the extent of the Qwe'Pulci domain, and if there were any other potential threats nearby.

The Cabal were, unusually for such a confident culture, starting to feel a little small and alone. Especially when reports came through of potentially massive interstellar creatures...

 

[HistoryDude]

The Rihi'Nara are aggressive.

These forerunners are probably a threat. Maybe they're leave the Rihi'Nara alone if they avoid implying their own nonexistence?

 

[danivon]

Stenbork System: 2201.02.15

The Amicable was surveying the fifth planet of this strange trinary system, when the orders came through from the Cabal. King Veltassa wished Hannakon and his ship to complete their survey of the system and then head to the unknown system accessed by the hyperlane heading 'south'. Strategically, the Cabal wanted to ensure there was a route out of the cluster of stars the Protectorate was based in, and to understand what lay in that direction.

News had arrived a month before that the new exploration vessel, Salaas the Revered had discovered what appeared to be an abandoned cargo pod above a gas giant in the Nomotar system. Jaffaba the Resilient, the lead scientist on the Revered reported that it was not recognised as being Jackly or Sathweer in design, and it appeared to have been there some time. Her orders, however, were to mark and move on - the Cabal demanded she complete her survey of the system before moving on to others, so that more space could be claimed for the Rihi'Nara.

Hannakon had been a little surprised to learn that Jaffaba was sent to the void. She had until recently been specialising in physical research in the Colloquium on Sutharia and appeared to be settled there. She was also the mother of one of Hannakon's children. Hannakon and Jaffaba had been in the same group-marriage for several years, but - as is the custom - had each left when she became pregnant, so that she could move to her birth family and he would not have any further offspring in the same group in her absence. The child had been adopted by Jaffaba's cousins to allow her to return to her scientific career. Since then, Hannakon and Jaffaba had been colleagues at the Colloquium, but not much more than friends.

This was not unusual for the Rihi'Nara. Sometimes a pair of parents would leave a group marriage to form a couple and have more children. Sometimes the child would be brought up in the group-family, the mother returning after the birth and weaning to rejoin, but often they would remain in the mother's birth-family until adulthood. Fathers were not encouraged to stay once they had produced one child in a marriage - unless of course they were the senior male of the household. This had been Hannakon's third time of being through the marriage-fatherhood-divorce cycle and it was emotionally draining for him.

He had been invited into another group-marriage a few years later, but had declined. Now he was considered too old to be actively seeking reproduction, and too low status (as a civilian) to lead his own family, and so he was free from the expectations to join another marriage. In earlier times, he would have been expected to become a soldier or sailor, ready to sacrifice his life for his clan. Now instead he was sent into the deep void to serve the King of all clans. Chances were he would never return home, but his life would both be spent in honourable service and (selfishly on his part) doing what he had always dreamed of doing, exploring the stars.

 

[Von Acturus]

This looks very interesting, I'll follow the Host's adventures.

 

[danivon]

Stenbork System: 2201.07.03

The Amicable and crew had completed their survey of the Stenbork system. Captain Arinshok had already laid in a course for the gateway leading to the unknown system. Hannakon submitted his final report. Stenbork IVa was indeed habitable, although not perfect for the Rihi'Nara. The useable land was not as extensive as had been hoped, with deep oceans and active volcanos. However there was a high chance a colony could be established.

The rest of the system would provide moderate energy that could be harnessed, and Stenbork Ia could be exploited for tradeable precious stones. However, it was not for economic reasons that the Cabal ordered the system secured. The Jackly were already surveying with their own vessel, and so Kadmun the Restorer, a construction vessel, was at work to put a starbase in place. The Jackly had already claimed Hixaros, and the Sathweer had a base in Athyorix. Of concern to the Cabal was that the Sathweer were now surveying Liram, which would block another direct route out of the star cluster. The Kingdom of Beznar was also now close to two further systems with potential habitable worlds. The Rihi'Nara needed a clear path to grow, or they would become dependent on their neighbours.

The response from Sutheria was almost immediate - as quick as a subspace response over 12 light years could be, "Report confirmed, Lieutenant Hannakon. Proceed to next objective immediately"

'Lieutenant'? thought Hannokan, I'm not in the military, let alone an officer. Has someome confused me with my father?

A few minutes later, another message came through. It was from the Battle King himself, and on video, "Hannokan the Stargazer, the Host recognises your service. Your prompt and thorough work will help us to secure much needed resources and land. As a reward, you are now inducted into the Navy in the rank of Lieutenant. Captain Arinshok will ensure you compete your training."

Hannakon reflexively thanked King Veltassa's image just as it winked out. He had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it was a recognition of his work. On the other hand, he was even more bound to the Cabal and its military, and had even less rights to make his own decisions. Also, training would be difficult enough for a 46 year old scientist, let alone on a cramped vessel. He hoped Arinshok would be as laid back as he had been so far.

 

[danivon]

Ascella IIIa, Ascella System: 2202.11.20

The Amicable had been in the new system for a few weeks when the discovery was made. Ascella held evidence of a long-vanished empire. The "Vultaum" appear to have been advanced and there were strong indications that they had been active elsewhere. Hannakon was so busy with uploading data to send back to Sutheria, he had been given permission to suspend his basic training until it was complete. This was a relief, because instead of handling it himself, Captain Arinshok had delegated the task to Sub-Captain Gar'Ell, who appeared to take delight in watching a middle-aged soft-fleshed scientist endure physical drills and reaction tests.

As well as data, some fifty unusual physical artefacts were recovered from the moon Ascella IIIa, and Hannakon and the crew were ordered to package them up to be sent back by auto-drone to Sutheria for further study in the Colloquium. Then Ascella IV an odd mountain formation had been identified. It didn't seem to be natural, and required detailed research. Not being a geologist, Hannakon was ordered to mark the site and carry on the work of surveying. But he could not help but wonder if the Valtaum had possessed the means to create whole mountain ranges.

Besides, the Cabal had sent new orders through. Any planet that could possibly harbour life was a priority to survey. The Host desired new lands to settle, and the Colloquium had been tasked by Veltassa with expediting research in that sphere. Clearly the Cabal were taking an even greater interest in science. As well as himself and now Jaffaba having been coverted to military personnel, the Colloquium itself was now being led by a General, Elemano the Adaptable. Rihi'Nara society was gearing up for a military economy. Clearly, thought Hannakon, we are anticipating war in the cosmos.

 

[danivon]

Aazrof System: 2205.04.18

Hannakon had finally completed his training and passed the officer's exams, in between furious bursts of activity as he worked on the surveys of cosmic bodies. He was also involved in cross-disciplinary work looking at the results from other surveys. Veltassa had ordered a third exploration vessel be built, and ships were heading out along the three routes out of the home cluster. Following her work in securing the Nomotar and Ellor systems, Jaffaba had been sent far off to the planets beyond Sathweer space, which the Cabal had resigned to not being able to colonise themselves, but where study was still mandated. Ralpakini the Meticulous was on Itrambun the Whirlwind which was in Liram system, about to head out towards the edge of the Chariot Wheel.

The three of them had each made another major discovery in the past year. On Aazrof III, Hannakon had been astounded to find what appeared to be a moon placed on to the planetary surface. Jaffaba's surveys in Ellor had turned up a new substance to Rihi'Nara science, crystalline structures that promised to revolutionise technology. And Ralpakini had recorded a planet in Liram that could potentially be reformed into a liveable colony.

The Cabal's strategy was bearing some fruit, with constructor craft following the scientific surveys to claim the systems linking Sutheria to Stenbork, and soon to secure Liram and the hyperlane routes due "East". Stenbork starbase was to be upgraded, in part to exploit the trade good available there and in neighbouring Ellor, but mainly to increase the protection of the proposed colony site

More importantly for the prestige of the Rihi'Nara, they now were acknowledged as being economically as well as militarily stronger than the other Protectorate members. The Treaty of Ussaldon had been agreed between the Rihi'Nara, Jackly and Sathweer. Each was free to expand without interference in their own designated directions. The Sathweer of Beznar would head "north", while the Jackly would head "west", and the Rihi'Nara as Hegemons owned "south" and "east". Research agreements between the three would mean that there would be some sharing of knowledge gained.

Hannakon had his next set of orders. Rather than looping back to survey the systems between Aazrof and the home cluster, he and the Amicable were to voyage further, southwards towards the Gap - the space between the two vast arms of the Chariot Wheel.

 

[danivon]

Perseus System: 2205.04.18

As the Amicable orbits Perseus II, a toxic and barren world, Hannakon analysed the data readings. The AI behind his console had become more efficient at processing information as they had progressed through several systems, but still needed a Rihi'Nara eye with guidance. The readouts showed everything appeared normal, but Hannakon was not convinced. Something reminded him of Ascella III, where the Vultaum had been discovered. Nothing obvious, but some strange rock formations near a coastal region, organic compound traces on one particular mountain, and the presence of rare minerals in the polar regions were not simple explained. He ordered more invasive probes of the surface, and waited.

Meanwhile, he played Durak with Captain Arinshok. The game was a challenge for him, and the Captain was a keen practitioner of games of wagering, and so he again lost. But the older male smiled as he congratulated Hannakon on winning more rounds than usual.

The next day, a little groggy from the late night and another half-bottle of D'ro, Hannakon checked the readings from the probes. It was conclusive - the Vultaum had been here. Their scratchings, as close as was known to be a written language, were found on slabs in what appeared to have been a settlement at the North Pole. However, he didn't have the expertise to decypher any of it, and his orders from the Cabal were clear - mark and move on.

It was a significant find. But not as shocking as what had been found in the Kentharom system.

A massive creature, reminiscent of mythological beasts from old fireside sagas, had been observed from afar. It appeared to be guarding one of the worlds around the star. The Cabal had named it the Ether Drake, and it certainly appeared to have massive power. It had been seen destroying a rogue asteroid that had threatened the Kentharom I (renamed "Dragon's Hoard") with casual ease. It showed no signs of leaving the system, which was fortunate as Lirem system was a single hyperlane away.

 

[Macavity116]

I think it's a stroke of luck having the Ether Drake so closeby. You won't be able to reap the rewards right away, but they are pretty much guaranteed to be yours now.

 

[danivon]

I think it's a stroke of luck having the Ether Drake so closeby. You won't be able to reap the rewards right away, but they are pretty much guaranteed to be yours now.

That is certainly fortunate. On the other hand, it looks like both "east" and "south" are dead ends after a few jumps, so the Rihi'Nara will need to think hard about how to proceed.

 

[danivon]

Torphry's Star: 2207.06.13

Jaffaba sat at her console and smiled. As she had expected, the strange particles she had found off the second planet were a new substance, and a potentially valuable one. These "motes" were highly volatile, and would produce huge amounts of energy, far more than their mass would predict under standard physical theories.

As a result of her discovery, the Cabal was sending a constructor craft to try to beat the Sathweer to claiming the system. Before she had arrived it was known to contain one possibly colonisable planet. She had found that the sixth planet could be converted from its barren form to also be settled, once such planet-altering technology was available.

Her former lover, Hannakon, would be envious at her success. He had gained fame as the discoverer of the Vultaum, but now she had caused the Battle King to change policy in order to secure the riches she had discovered. The two may never meet again, speeding off in opposite directions, but their son, Geretak, would know his parents as the greatest explorers since the dawn of the space age, and he would be the pride of the clan.

 

[danivon]

Forodren Graw system: 2208.12.20

As he usually did when the Amicable entered a new system, Hannakon stood at the viewing portal to witness what Forodren Graw had to offer. However, as soon as the star came into view, alerts sounded across the ship

"Unidentified signal. Unidentified signal. Subspace radiation received. Decoding. Unidentified signal...."
"Unknown vessels detected. Unknown vessels detected. 24 signatures found. Unknown vessels detected..."
"Targeting radar detected. Targeting radar detected. Evasive manoeuvres pattern V425 commencing. Targeting radar detected..."

The Amicable lurched several times, throwing the crew about before the cabin spaces were filled with safety foam to protect the Rihi'Nara from being slammed against hard surfaces. Hannakon blacked out for several minutes.

When he came to, the ship was steadier, but was accelerating hard, having turned around to head back to the Aazrof hyperlane. The various competing alerts were silent, replaced by a message being repeated - the ship AI had translated the signal that had greeted them.

"We are the Guardians of Zanaam. Leave or prepare to be destroyed. We will not hesitate to use force to protect our charges. Do not attempt to approach. Our weapons are readied. We are the Guardians of Zanaam..."

The foam was subsiding, and Hannakon could see the rest of the crew staring at the ship's main display. Two dozen bright red spots showed, approaching from the direction of one of the planets in the system. They were larger than any craft in the Cabal's Navy, and appeared to hold advanced weaponry. Captain Arinshok was in no doubt that their unarmed and poorly shielded craft would last seconds in any real conflict, and had ordered the ship to retreat, at full speed.

An ignominious first military contact in space for the Rihi'Nara ended soon, as the Amicable departed the system and sent the log data to Sutheria. The system would be monitored heavily to see if the hostile fleet followed or moved anywhere else.

 

[danivon]

Torphry's Star: 2209.06.23

Jaffaba's survey of the system was finally complete. The constructor vessel was in place, awaiting the final materials to commence production. The most intriquing find had been the last - the crystal-like structures on the fifth planet were not buildings, but their purpose is unknown. Their composition, however, was totally groundbreaking. The entire structures were made up of billions of nanites, tiny machines. As yet the Rihi'Naradid not have the technology to use them, but the potential was astounding. Large amounts of them had been secured for the Host, and while they were inactive, the Colloquium would start to research them as soon as possible.

Jaffaba's mission was now set in. She was to head out, further beyond the Kingdom of Beznar and explore the hyperlanes that led "north". She didn't expect to return to Sutheria. She would be unlikely to ever see her four offspring again, even if they were to join the Navy. But she knew that she had set them for the best life she could - the elder three were settled in the clan of her earlier group-marriage, with their father Bershike the Headsplitter, head of the household. Bershike was senior in his clan and a notable soldier in his youth, and already Tsheri and Marlik were signed up to the army, brother and sister in the same battlegroup. Gorderon would come of age next year and was expected to follow his elder siblings as they followed their father.

Geretak was growing up with her cousins in her ancestral clan, and in his early teens was showing aptitude in many areas. He might be able to choose his future. However, his guardians were talking about signing up to be colonists on the new worlds that were being discovered. That would be risky, but might mean their sub-clan had an elevated position in a new society.

New worlds had been found, although not all of them were capable of being settled easily. In Topher's Star, the one planet that could currently bear life was more arid than Rihi'Nara were used to, and much of the land was infested with a fungus that would make it even less liveable.

To the "east", where Ralpakini was leading the surveys, there were more promising sites. In Erimadon system there were two worlds, one of which had a very similar profile to Sutheria and a lot of useable land. However, before it could be colonised there was an anomaly in the rainforests that needed to be identified and checked. The other was alpine and smaller, but might make a decent colony with some work and sacrifice. In Bas system there was a habitable world, but it was already home to a sentient race. The Screk, as they had been named, were not able to reach the stars, they appeared to be pre-industrial. The Cabal had decreed that they would be studied rather than subjugated - at least for now.

Hannakon had not yet found any suitable worlds since his survey of Stenbork IVa, which was already known about from the Jackly. Jaffaba wondered which would be of more value - her discoveries of fascinating new materials, his searched for the Vultaum, or Ralpakini's planets and moons?