The Stars are Ours

[JohnnyMacintosh]

October 10th 2197

There lay Nathan Howard, his coffin flanked by members of the Federal Police Service on all four sides, facing outwards. The yellow flag of the Assembly was draped over his casket, and on top of that was the gently folded blue flag of the European Federation. The public shuffled on by the outskirts of the rotunda, paying their respects to the last man from a bygone era.

A father of two federations.

Gone.

Only once the doors were shut to the public for the night did Bernard Robertson enter. He was never one to make a scene. Every step he took towards the casket echoed throughout the halls. He stood before Howard and after a pause, put a hand on Howard’s casket. The memories came flooding back; how Howard had convinced him to vote in favour of federation, how Howard had celebrated on the Assembly floor with Nejem when they realized they had the votes, how together they mourned Najem’s assassination not a few years later, and finally Howard’s poignant words upon passing the presidency to him.

“The people made you President, Bernie, don’t forget that. Show them this can work. Show them none of this was in vain. Show them the sacrifices were worth it.”

Robertson took his hand off the casket. Alas, those memories were a long time ago. Those chaotic days of early federation were long behind him, as was his presidency.

The Stars are Ours
Chapter I
Teaser
​

It is 2197, and the grand old Federalist Party has reversed its fortunes. With a new leader comes a new administration, such that the sins of the past can be swept under the rug of the minds of a fickle electorate. Staving off a challenge from former African Chancellor Siwatu Ojukwu, Carole Etoile has won her party a strong majority - in no small part thanks to the abstentionist NSP - that has ensured that they will remain in power for another five years since ousting the Alliance Party in 2187. Etoile gambles on a promise to amend the Federal Act to suit the concerns of South American nations who still feel the scars of the 2160's and 70's. In the back of her mind she is acutely aware that this very same issue brought down Bernard Robertson's government ten years earlier in dramatic fashion. She knows that this is her party's only chance to regain the trust of South America and heal the wounds they caused in more chaotic times.

It is a bittersweet time. As one president celebrates re-election, another one makes their trip to their final resting place. Nathan Howard; stalwart Unionist, founder of the European Federation, and the last surviving Father of Global Federation, has passed away at one hundred years of age. A week after his burial leaders of today, tomorrow, and days past will come together to see off the launch of the GRV Nejem, as it aims to make history by traveling to a star that is not our own.
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Yes! I am back. As the kids say, it has been a minute. So uh, here I am trying to do this story some proper justice! Stellaris has come a long way since 2016 and I like to think I have as well. I think the game is at a point where I can give this story a solid go again.

Also, you might notice the OG series is gone. The last (few) times I tried to reboot this thing everyone just read the original series and for me it ruined the fun. So its gone until I wrap the reboot up completely. There is a good chance you will spoil yourself if you go back through the comments though. If you can actually remember the details from back then, my compliments to your memory.

This time around I have decided to jump right into the story. There is no lengthy prologue, as to be quite frank it’s too tedious. As fun as world building is sometimes ya just need to get to the main event. I am sure I will reveal bits and pieces of the pre-FTL history as time goes on and it fits the story, like in this post I am making now.

This is first and foremost a narrative, so don’t expect to get any tips n’ tricks on how to play the game here. Stellaris is used as a tool for the story in this AAR.

That being said, I did have to make some modifications to the game. The galaxy had to be edited to fit the story, and all the original spacefaring empires at the start of the game were custom made!

So lets dive in!

 

[JohnnyMacintosh]

The Stars are Ours
Chapter I - To The Stars
Part I - The First Voyage

The cabinet was back together again after another election season. Plenty of new faces surrounded the table, appointments by Étoile to shake up the cabinet she inherited from Jun He. She felt confidant that, after winning an election in her own right, changes were warranted. She had chosen MA's from non-traditional Federalist regions to make it clear this was a new era for a government that was already ten years old. With her cabinet eagerly awaiting her command, she powered on her desk panel. Her ministers followed suit.

"Shall we begin?"

The orders from the Federal Space Agency were quite simple: Survey everything. The government's priority was resource collection to bolster the economy back on Earth. Sol was close to tapped out; resources were needed. At great political risk, the construction vessel procured by the government was outfitted with its own hyperdrive before the highly theoretical form of space travel had even been practically tested. Étoile's cabinet had devised a very simple method for expansion - survey first, construct second. Rinse and repeat. Zhen Shen was to to complete a survey of the local systems before returning home.

Zhen Shen and her ship orbited slowly around Jupiter. The first time spacers on the GRV Najem's crew were glued to the windows watching the bands of gas slowly churn and move around. For Shen, it was a a familiar sight. Jupiter was, after all, where she had made the first warp flight so many years ago. Jupiter was the final checkpoint before moving beyond. She was waiting on word from the FSA to proceed with the mission.

Out here audio or video communication was impractical, instead they had to make do with short text messages. Even if it didn't seem like it, sending a few kilobytes across the void of space near-instantaneously was a modern marvel of engineering. That is not to say audio and video could NOT be sent, however no one wants to way six or more hours between messages. It was simply not practical in a solar system populated by civilian ships and stations.

"Message from Earth, Commander"

Shen took the readout from her subordinate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//Begin Packet 2197.10.10
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
TELEMETRY RECEIVED X GOOD DATA X PROCEED TO URANUS AND BEYOND X GOOD LUCK

FSA
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//End Packet
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They looked at each other and smiled in excitement. This was the message everyone was waiting for.

"Inform the crew, and send our reply back to Earth," ordered Shen.

For the next few months, it would be slow going on warp power. It was a fine way to get around the solar system, but it would still take decades or more to reach the nearest star on warp power alone. If everyone did their jobs right, a multi-generation journey would take a week. They passed Uranus in November, and by December they were at the edge of the Solar System. From the cockpit they peered out into the void. Out of the endless stars in front of them, only one had a valid hyperlane. Trappist awaited. It took the hyperdrive seven days to spool up, and the last five minutes were critical.

At that point, a chain reaction would begin and there would be no turning back. To ensure an accurate jump the coordinates had to be inputted as close to the five-minute window as possible. The minds behind the hyperdrive were not quite sure what would happen otherwise and no one wanted to find out. With ten minutes to go the cockpit became a haven of activity.

Shen and her navigator were rapidly calculating the first set of variables to plug into the supercomputer.

"Variables calculated," announced the navigator.

"Same here," replied Shen. "Checksum F5UA7SB?"

"Checksum F5UA7SB."

They nodded at each other.

"Plug 'em in."

They inserted their datapads into the slots on the supercomputer. After about a minute of whirring, a blue indicator light flashed on; SECONDARY VARIABLES CALCULATED. They ripped out their datapads and started work on the final set of variables. A high-pitched buzzing went off. They glanced at the timer, only three minutes left to input final variables. By this time the humming of the hyperdrive was loud enough to be heard across the entire ship.

"Variables calculated!" yelled the navigator.

"Checksum 6H2H13N!"

"Checksum 6H2H13N!"

They slammed their datapads into the slots on the navigation computer. A minute and a half left. For what felt like an eternity, the navigation computer hummed. Forty seconds left, thirty seconds left, twenty seconds left... the five minute window was almost here.

Ten seconds to go.

"We have no solution! we have to abort!," yelled the navigator.

Single digits were now counting down. Shen flipped open the panel for the abort button and just before she was about to punch it the cockpit lights flashed blue, and the navigation computer let out a loud beep. An indicator light came on; SOLUTION CALCULATED. Shen and her navigator let out a sight of relief.

"Accept solution?"

"Accept solution."

"Begin final preparations for the jump, make sure everyone is strapped in tight," commanded Shen. "And don't forget to send a packet back home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//Begin Packet 2197.12.03
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
FINAL COUNTDOWN X SEE YOU ON OTHER SIDE

GRVNEJEM
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//End Packet
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The message was received enthusiastically back home. For the next few weeks, the coverage was nonstop. It was an estimated weeklong journey between Sol and Trappist through hyperspace. A week came and passed. Then the second week passed. Where was the GRV Nejem? The theories were running rampant. Perhaps it was possible that communication through hyperspace would not be as easy as it was thought to be, or maybe the communication beacon they dropped at the edge of the solar system malfunctioned. As the days passed on, people started to think the unthinkable. Maybe they never made it.
It was a somber holiday season. Prayers and well-wishes for the crew of the lost GRV Najem were abound. Carole Étoile had two speeches drawn up before the launch and it was increasingly looking like she would be using the one she dreaded the most.

Then, finally, it came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//Begin Packet 2197.12.25
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
BUMPY RIDE X HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM TRAPPIST X SURVEY DATA TO FOLLOW

GRVNEJEM
//////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE ////////////////////////////
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//End Packet
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was going to be a good 2198.

 

[JohnnyMacintosh]

The Stars are Ours
Chapter I - To The Stars
Part II - The Federal Act

January 9th 2199

The Speaker of the Assembly stood up and shuffled through their papers while clearing their throat, "Reading of government bills; The Right Honourable President of the Assembly seconded by the Honourable Lorena Diaz moves that bill A-4, an 'Act To Amend the Federal Act and Other Acts With Regards to the Relationship Between the Federal Assembly of Nations And Partner Nations to Ensure a Stable and Lasting Relationship', The Right Honourable President."

Carole Étoile stood from her seat. "Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I am very pleased to bring this bill to the floor of the Assembly for the final time. It represents years of work by this government to do right by our constituent nations and their citizens that humble us with the duties of managing global affairs. This government is also pleased to have the support of our Assembly colleagues from across the aisle, who represent a significant portion of South America. Madam Speaker, it is time to heal old wounds."

There were nods and verbal statements in agreement. Ichiro Shiraishi, the interim leader of the Alliance Party, rose from his seat, directly opposite of Étoile.

"The Honourable Leader of the Opposition."

"Madam Speaker, the President speaks of healing wounds - and yet it was members of her very party that created them in the first place! May I remind the President that there are members of this Assembly that carry the scars from the conflicts they created? The Federal Act is just fine, Madam Speaker. It does NOT need the meddling of any Federalists. The world can do without their destabilizing amendments to the Federal Act!"

Boos rang out from the government benches to drown out the cheers from the opposition benches.

"Order! The Assembly recognizes the Right Honourable President!"

"Madam Speaker!" She waited for the ruckus to die down. "Madam Speaker! If the Leader of the Opposition wishes to dredge up the past, he would do well to remember they themselves tried the very same reforms! Unlike the members opposite, Madam Speaker, this government presents a unified front that is capable of delivering the changes humanity needs. He speaks of wounds and I say for shame, Madam Speaker. Shame on calling for thirty-year-old ghosts to fight the battles of today. We are here to heal, Madam Speaker, not dig into the past!”

Étoile was of course referring to the implosion of the Alliance Party in the late 80's. The Federalists stood and cheered for their President, giving her a standing ovation. Shiraishi had no reply.

It was all for show anyways, with a Federalist majority in the Assembly the bill was sure to pass. Support from the Unionists was just the icing on top.

After the session the top minds of the Alliance Party were licking their wounds in the opposition lounge.

“Look fellas, we have to do something – that was bad.”

“What we need is a leader we can rally around, someone popular.”

“I thought that’s who the Chancellor of Africa was? Look how that turned out.”

“We need someone better.”

“Don’t say it.”

“You know who I am talking about”

“Don’t you goddamn say it.”

There was a pause.

“Any man – who can get one BILLION votes – in twenty-two eighty-two, is a man who can win an election. That's a man who can beat Étoile!”

“A man I might remind you, who was crucified over the very issues we debated today. You know damn well the Feds are going to ride this Federal Act thing all the way to the polls in a few years and the last person we need at the helm is a guy who screwed this up last time.”

“He didn’t screw up, we pushed him out and people know it.”

“What were we supposed to? We are called Statists for a reason you know.”

“Yeah, and statism died on the Assembly floor today. Look if you want to spend the rest of your career on the opposition benches being talked down by some French upstart, that’s your problem. I for one, would rather win an election or two before I die.”

“You know he’ll never agree to it.”

It's true. He never would.

“I know some polling people. I’ll get them to run one of the leadership polls with his name on it; generate some conversation. We’ll get some friends of some friends to start a write-in campaign. He might deny us but he won’t deny the people.”

The senior Alliance members thought about it for a second. It was a decent plan, and being out of power was not a good place to be as a politician.

“Alright, make your calls – but I hope you know what you are doing.”

The Situation on Earth

Humanities oasis in the void was well weathered by 2197. In fact, it was in good shape for a planet that over a century ago had plunged itself into global nuclear war. The eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera soon after did not help. Humanity was resilient though, and they had picked themselves up to the tune of a world population of four billion. Since the 2150's the workforce had become increasingly automated and by 2197 there were roughly 800 million robots toiling away, mostly in mining and agriculture. For the one and a half billion unemployed, there was always a generous social welfare program thanks to the Assembly of Nations. Society was still very much geared towards basic production, leaving a shortage in the way of the finer things of life. In addition, housing was becoming increasingly scarce, especially with the hesitancy to free up more land for construction. You can't launch over fifty thermonuclear weapons across the globe without adding to the fragility of nature. No one was interested in being the ones to break the camels back with some misplaced luxury condos.

As for humanity itself, it was not without it's own scars. Though intelligent, adaptive, and quick to learn, the legacy of war remained. A century of post-apocalyptic conflict ingrained a suspicion for crowded places where disease, war, and famine could and did make short work of billions. The latent genetic effects made the prospect of families difficult. Fortunately time and work from the Federal Genetics Bureau (Known as the International Genetics Accord before Federation) had put to rest most of those nightmares.

Though it had it's detractors, the Federal Assembly of United Nations was a boon to humanity. It defied the typical tropes of government. It was surprisingly efficient for its byzantine structure. A menagerie of committees and government agencies collected and dolled our resources to the nation-states with high accuracy. Basic production was nationalized, with the Assembly managing all essential resources. From here, they were either consumed outright or entered the private market. By this point in time the Assembly was fifty-seven years old, yet its status as the de-facto and de-jure world government only goes back to 2174. There was no constitution, deriving its power from the hastily passed Federal Act in 2174 that outlined most of how the Assembly operated on a fundamental level and its relationship with the nation-states. Like any other Act of Assembly, it was subject to change by majority vote. Doing so was risky, and practically required consent of nation-states to be accepted to avoid any major tensions or unrest.

Activities of the Federal Space Agency

If ever there was an age of space exploration, it was surely now. Humanity could go wherever the hyperlanes could take them - supposing they did the math. Before civilians could follow the brave crew of the GRV Nejem into the void, they needed to wait for the system surveys. A hyperspace jump required highly exact coordinates calculated for both sides of the jump. Proper motion and gravitational wells needed to be accounted for. These calculations were incredibly complex to compute when only one systems variables were accurately known. However, once the science vessel collected accurate readings from the other side of the jump and beamed them back to everyone waiting at home, the process became exponentially easier.

Without civilian infrastructure, communication was also very brief. To save resources it was decided that only two packets would be sent back home relaying critical information for each system. The only exception to this was an emergency situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//Begin Packet 2198.09.29
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
////////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE //////////////////////////////
TRAPPIST SURVEY X 1 MOLTEN 2 BARREN 3 TOXIC 4 DESERT 5 CONTINENTAL 6 ARCTIC 7 X
ENERGY 4 SFU X RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES X ASTROBIOLOGY CONFIRMED 2198.07.13 X
FLORA X FAUNA X BASIC LIFEFORMS X  SYSTEM CLEARED FOR CIVILIAN USE
MOVING TO BARNARDS STAR ETA 2199.01.09 X NAV INFO TO FOLLOW

GRVNEJEM
////////////////////////////// FSA PRIORITY MESSAGE //////////////////////////////
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
//End Packet
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And that would be that, for system after system. Once the civilian constructors moved in they would pick up the detailed survey information and relay it back to Earth via better communications infrastructure at a newly constructed system outpost.

Humanity had its first holding outside of the solar system, and there would be more to follow.

 

[JohnnyMacintosh]

The Stars are Ours
Chapter I - To The Stars
Part III - The 8th Assembly


The New Age of Exploration

If there is one legacy historians can agree on for the second Étoile ministry, it was kicking off a golden age of space exploration and scientific innovation. The demand for scientists exploded once the GRV Nejem made its first jump. The opportunities for research were endless. No longer did PhD students have to write thesis on increasingly obscure and niche topics; there was real research to be done from all the data being shipped back to Earth.

Perhaps one of the biggest breakthroughs was achieved at the turn of the century. Utilizing DNA samples from plants uncontaminated with radiation or the multitude of artificial substances that plagued the biosphere of earth, researchers were able to make headway in solving humanities genetic deficiencies, especially in regards to reproduction.

For those wishing for a more hands on experience, there was always extrasolar mining. Someone had to man the deep space stations and run the mining operations. The Offworld Trading Act cleared the way for the formation of cooperatives to conduct deep space mining on behalf of the Federal Mining Corporation. Individuals could sign onto a five-year tour on a mining operation and in return they would earn a pretty penny, much more than through the social programs back home. Priority was given to existing tradespeople and engineers who could demonstrate a high level of physical health and mental fortitude. Six months of zero-g training later, and off they went to harvest resources on the frontier. The minerals came flooding back to Earth, and thanks to a few innovations the ore could now be refined in space instead of planet-side, drastically reducing logistic requirements.

When the GRV Nejem returned to Earth in December of 2200 they were hailed as heroes as soon as they disembarked at Federal Station. Parades across the world were thrown in their honour. They regaled audiences on e-shows with their tales of planetary adventures and dodgy hyperdrive jumps. A monument was commissioned to commemorate the first travellers beyond the solar system.

Concerns of Cabinet

It did not take long before alien life was confirmed. Nor did it take too long to confirm that at one point they had once traveled the stars long ago. Invariably the question withing cabinet became what to do if humanity every ran across aliens traveling the stars. Some wanted to enthusiastically seek out fellow spacers. Others were concerned that those spacers might not be of a friendly persuasion. With her cabinet split, Étoile decided to er on the side of caution. It would be best to take a wait-and-see approach before initiating any contact.

While you could find energy and ore sources in space, food was another issue all together, and Earth was quickly approaching a food deficit. Not only that, but demand for base consumer goods by the private sector had skyrocketed well passed the Federal Manufacturing Companies ability to produce them. An expansion of the FMC was hastily planned but the Federalists suffered a bit in the news cycle for failing to foresee what was painted as an obvious oversight.

While they could solve the consumer goods issue, producing more food had everyone scratching their heads. Perhaps orbital hydroponics? Federal Station could be retrofitted for such a job. Extensive research would be required, and no one had a solution to the loss of logistics that Federal Station provided to extrasolar mining. Others suggested repurposing urban land for agriculture - an expensive and time consuming option that would only exasperate the housing crunch.

For more creative dreamers, the solution lay beyond the solar system.

 

[JohnnyMacintosh]

Étoile was in her office, having just wrapped up the final cabinet meeting before the election. For the next month and a half she and her party would be busy campaigning. They were confident that another five years of governing were ahead of them. Despite the consumer goods crunch and the food supply situation, they had a good record to campaign on. The mineral and energy sectors were soaring, and everyone was hooked on every chunk of news coming in from the expeditions. Federalists were optimistic that their success amending the Federal Act would bring in more votes from South America.

An aide entered.

“Madam President, the Alliance leadership results are in. They’ll be announcing it anytime now. Shall I flip on the vid screen?”

“Yes, please. It has to be almost 3:00 AM there, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The aide flipped on the video screen and navigated to the news channel.

“Well folks, its been a long night here in New York but I hear the results are in! We are expecting an announcement anytime soon, ” said the newscaster as the camera panned to the convention floor.

Another newscaster chimed in, “It certainly is a strange energy here on the convention floor, Steve. LeClerc and Dobson campaigned hard but we all know the big name casting a shadow tonight is Robertson. Ya gotta wonder how many votes he will get considering that he skipped the debates and gave almost no interviews.”

The station cut to the interview from a month ago. Bernard Robertson was surrounded by reporters.

“Mr. Robertson, I have to say, shouldn’t you be running an actual campaign?”

“I’ll tell you what I told the fellas from the party when they put my name on the ballot. With how things ended last time it must be the party that wants me back, not the other way around. I don’t owe them a damn thing. Besides, LeClerc and Dobson are fine people – I’m sure either of them would do just fine.”

The interview cut back to the live feed.

“From what I hear on the floor, LeClerc is the favourite tonight, but you can’t deny the cult following Robertson has picked up the past few months. When I ask about Robertson there are many fond memories of the 80’s and I have even seen a few ‘Robertson Forever’ campaign signs from back then floating around too. Lot’s of love for the ‘Billion vote man’ tonight on the floor, but we will see if it translates into anything meaningful. With that said-“ the newscaster was cut off.

“Sorry to cut you off but here comes the party president now, with the results.”

The feed cut to a man walking across the stage to the podium.

“Folks, can I have your attention please,” the party president announced. The crowd hushed down. “Apologies for the delay but there were a lot of votes to count- over two hundred million!”

The crowd cheered.

“I am pleased to announce we have a winner on the first ballot!”

The crowd cheered again.

The party president opened the envelope, “With sixteen percent of the vote, Tom Dobson takes third place.”

There were murmurs and some cheers in the crowd. A decent third place showing.

“With twenty-four percent of the vote,” the party president paused, and the crowd was dead silent. “Jean LeClerc.”

Before the party president could even finish LeClerc’s name, the convention centre erupted in a frenzy. There was only one name left and they just won big.

“Finally, our new party leader! With sixty percent of the vote, Bernard Robertson!” yelled the part president, practically drowned out by the rapturous crowd.

Blue and white confetti started raining down from the ceiling as everyone celebrated. Bernard Robertson walked onto the stage, waving to the crowd drawing louder and louder cheers. He shook the part president’s hand while they exchanged whispers. He then proceeded to the podium.

The noise of the crowd slowly coalesced into a familiar chant that had not been heard in nearly twenty years, “Robertson! Forever! Robertson! Forever! Robertson! Forever!”

Étoile flipped off the vid screen. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

The Stars are Ours
Chapter I - To The Stars
Part IV - Election 2202​

The election of Bernard Robertson as the leader of the Alliance Party was a shock to all. Pundits had expected long time party heavyweights LeClerc or Dobson to fight the Federalists in the upcoming election. Robertson did not even want to run; he was drafted by a movement within the party to get him on the ballot. Everyone quickly tried to find an explanation for his surprise victory.

Was it nostalgia? Robertson was not the first president of a united Earth, but he was the first to be democratically elected as such. In 2177 as the interim leader of the then Alliance of Independent States, he was swept into power at the age of 34 by the bitter infighting and vote splitting of the Unionist - Socialist - Federalist coalition, blown to pieces by the assassination of Nejem. He and his dynamic cabinet held the federation together at its weakest, and with the advent of FTL travel came the now rudimentary mining operations that powered explosive economic growth for a decade. For the first time in twenty years, it truly felt like humanity was on the up-and-up. He captured the cultural zeitgeist of his generation and in 2182 was treated to superstar rallies across the globe as he led the Statists to over one billion votes and over 400 seats in a 480-seat assembly. News outlets and crowds across the globe proclaimed 'Robertson Forever' for who they saw as the man who ushered in a new era of peace, prosperity, and stability.

Was it vindication? When his government tried to reform the Federal Act, the clashing views within the party came to a head. The old guard was able to successfully oust Robertson as party leader in a caucus vote in 2185. The fallout was immense. The entire cabinet resigned, with the new one comprised of the old guard was unequipped to run government. The new cabinet also stopped any and all negotiations on the Federal Act, outraging nations who were promised reform. Disgruntled Statists formed the National Sovereignty Party, an abstentionist party that damned the Federation as unworkable. Many NSP supporters were also former Robertson supporters, livid that internal political machinations had axed ‘their man’. Vote splitting with the NSP would be a fundamental reason why the Statists struggled to win subsequent elections. As the years went on, popular opinion favoured Robertson, casting him as an idealistic figure that was betrayed by conniving politicians. Perhaps what has been called ‘Robertson’s Curse’ on the Statists electoral fortunes could only be undone by Robertson himself.

Either way, Robertson was leader once again. This was not going to be the tranquil elections of the past, handily won by the professional political machinery of the Federalists. The Statists finally had a leader that had a personality. The media was quick to pit Étoile and Robertson against each other. The parallels were uncanny. Both became president at a relatively young age. Both were outsiders in their own party. Both saved their moribund party’s electoral fortunes. Both oversaw great economic growth. Robertson did the impossible and saved the Federation; Étoile did the impossible and reformed the Federal Act.

They both had unorthodox backgrounds for their respective parties that complicated campaign strategies for their opponent. Robertson was by no means a traditional Statist. The Federalists had hoped to use their federal reforms to their advantage, but as they had mirrored some of what Robertson had envisioned almost twenty years ago it was a tough sell. Owing to his role in the mutiny the effectively ended the assembly peacekeepers as fighting force in Brazil, Robertson had a large following in South America – a key region for the Federalists in this election. Given her French background, Étoile had a strong following Europe, a traditional stronghold of the Statists.

The Federalists started the campaign off strong, as they had a strong record to run on. Their message was clear. If you value prosperity and stability, you value the Federalists. It took Robertson some time to find his footing to counter this. Eventually he was able to hammer home what he saw as a mismanagement of the basic industries that underpinned the economy. Too much energy and mineral production, and not enough basic goods or food. Housing was also becoming an issue. Perhaps to counter strong Federalist talking points, he proposed a solution that was literally out of this word; colonizing other planets. It was known that some habitable ones had been discovered. If humanity couldn’t grow food on Earth, then why not somewhere else? The Federalists pushed back on this. The flurry of discussion pivoted colonization to the front and centre of the campaign.

This provided the desperately needed surge that the Statists needed. Robertson had struggled in the debates. This was not the 80’s anymore and party leaders were expected to know, at the very least, the two major languages of the Assembly – English and Mandarin. Robertson knew English and Mandarin did not sound great in a southern accent. Étoile knew eight languages and could speak them flawlessly. The statists had fought tooth-and-nail for the final debate to be in English, which provided Robertson a chance to finish strong that he did not waste.

As the votes rolled in, it was clear it was going to be a close one. Statist gains in India were offset by Federalist gains in Africa. The Statists did not get the result they wanted in Europe. It was a huge blow for them. Both parties put their hopes in South America. A strong showing for the Federalists could put them in majority territory. It was a wash; both parties split the vote and the seats. Owing to the leanings of North America, it was clear that for the first time in twenty-five years no party would have a majority in the Assembly.