Triumph of the Ultimate Society: A Stellaris multiplayer AAR.

[Randallw]

2291:12:18

Across the Estates, Lords and serfs alike paused in their day to day work to witness a broadcast by the new Dominar. His message transmitted across the empire, and where screens for its display had not existed before, they were specially installed to allow it now.

“Under my predecessor we rebuilt after the treacherous attack of the Taxis. Before, we extended our frontier, ever striving for new opportunities, new territory to add to our realm. But after the peace forced on us by our enemy and limited to our own space, we had no choice but to turn back to what we already had, to develop what we held all along. Thanks to our scientists, planets long off limits to our inhabitancy were made available, and we have taken them, developed them. Even as I speak our loyal subjects, heeding the commands of their betters, strive to develop those worlds fate has deemed them better suited to inhabit… but only at our command.”

At this point the Dominar paused momentarily, before speaking again.

“There still remain insurgents. But on many of our worlds, long troubled by those unwilling to submit, we have seen renewed peace. Our forces have repeatedly struck down the rebels so much that even they see it is futile to persist. I announce a renewed campaign to bring to them the truth. The truth of how their lives are improved under our rulership. Even as I speak broadcasts, explaining the true situation of their lives, have begun in the sectors troubled by uprisings. Only time will tell if they succeed, but if not our armies, staffed by loyal elements of the populations, stand ready to act swiftly and crush the rebels. Their fellow subjects on those worlds at the same time are ready to depart, to colonise worlds left fallow, so as to strengthen the might of the Empire, an Empire that can truly be said to encompass the stars. An empire which only now is starting to grow as long foreseen. Yes we lost heavily in the war, but our fleets grow every day, as new ships and technology are developed, and built. So I say to you loyal subjects rejoice, our Estates, our Star…Empire, grows. It thrives and the future is bright. Glory to the race!”

And across the realm the reply rang out,

“Service to the State!”

 

[Randallw]

2297:06:15

Kumar Acharya looked own on his new possessions. The transition had been mostly peaceful, the natives accepting their fate, but there were scattered protests as the Estate forces moved in and took control. After their forced independence, part of the humiliating peace treaty dictated by the Taxis, the Penthulans had submitted themselves, mostly, to the Faloriens, but if they had expected their freedom to last longer than the brief 20 years they had served as the Faloriens vassals, such ideas had been rudely crushed. The ties the Falor and the Estate held from their alliance outweighed any sympathy either side may have held for the upstart Penthulans. After the full integration of the Grekil system, and the Penthulan homeworld of Cirtish, the Faloriens had presented the holdings as a gift, returning the system to its rightful rulers. The estates had been swift to move in and silence dissent. The system had been quickly reintegrated into the Conquests sector, of which Kumar was the governor. He studied reports while periodically peering out from the top floor of what had once been, and was again, the planetary control facility. The Penthulans, seemingly, had used it as their parliament building. Kumar’s first order on arriving had been to order the disposal of all evidence their parliament had ever existed. Now the hallways were filled with troops, some from other subjects, reorganising as the new bureaucracy arrived to re-establish order.

Kumar had remembered one scientist he had met once at a conference, a Ksenia Skobolev, who was an expert on alien cultures and, more importantly, their technology. He had requested her assignment to study technology left behind by the Faloriens after their delegation had departed, but his request had been turned down on the grounds that she was too busy handling multiple projects for the leadership. One of his aides called to inform him that his authority was needed. He took one last glance at the scene outside his window, down at the base of the building a military convoy was heading into the city, then he turned around and strode back into his office.

ooc: I chose a different scientist when I noticed the bug.

 

[Randallw]

2304:04:27



Despite initial impressions the reoccupation of Cirtish did not go to plan. Only a few short years later, with the death of yet another Dominar *, and the ascension of his son to the Leadership civil unrest struck again in the southern sectors. Usually such rebellions would be swiftly struck down by both the Lord forces and the loyal native militia. In this case due to the recent experience of freedom and the Lord’s inexperience in handling a population that had known anything but serfdom from the day they had been conquered, the forces were not up to the task. What is more, the peacekeeping force sent was overwhelmed by the unexpected popularity of the uprising and defeated by a native force of militia and partisans. Across the estates orders were issued to raise fresh forces to take back the planet but training them would take time. In the meantime the Lords navy, unopposed in high orbit, began a program of targeted orbital bombardments to cow the native population.

The planet was placed under siege, interrupted only by attempts by mercenary forces of the Yeon Union of Holdings to intervene. Wave after wave of Yeon ground troops would descend on the planet, but from the surface little was heard. Then almost Two years after the rebellion began a faint message from the surface was received. A faction calling themselves the Avtyrran Union finally succumbed and surrendered to the forces above them. Their title was of supreme interest, as was their representative. The leadership had expected the rebellion to consist of a Penthulan leadership, for that was the native population, but instead as the name showed Avtyrrans, another subject race from a nearby system, inexcplicably led the unrest. They had also risen up when the sector was struck by insurrection, but the rebellion on their own world had been crushed by loyal forces. Were the various rebellions somehow linked by more than coincidence and common risings?

With the system pacified, efforts were finally concluded to examine the debris left when the rebel starships and the briefly held space station had opposed the relief effort. It was discovered, with some shock, that the forces in the system that had opposed the reestablishment of order had comprised technology foreign to the region. By all rights the natives should have utilised inherited Lord weaponry, or perhaps some technology from their brief vassalisation to the Faloriens. Instead it comprised long range missile systems previously only encountered in the possession of the Taxis. Could it be the Taxis were financing the rebellions of the Lord subjects?





· Scholars have looked with bewilderment at the propensity of Dominar to die not only with surprising regularity, but it seemed a propensity for the immediate successor to quickly fall victim to the strain of the position with shocking alacrity.

 

[Randallw]

2312:12:09



The general feeling throughout the estates was one of confidence. Though constrained within its borders the empire grew nonetheless. Within the last few decades constraints on migration had been lifted. Once forced to inhabit only their own home-worlds, with reduced constriction the inhabitants were authorised to travel and inhabit the new colonies that dotted the estates. Subject peoples applied their unique skills and capacity to inhabit colonies not considered ideal for the ruling race. Elsewhere advances were made in the terraforming and preparation of the worlds so as to make them better suited for the inhabitants. Generally the feeling was to put behind them the losses suffered in the late war. The leadership was still anxious about their neighbours but it was widely felt that the Estates had overextended themselves. Critics pointed out that the Taxis and their allies had only declared war when the estates had attempted to claim systems in the outer arm their neighbours felt belonged to them. Surely, if the empire made no more hostile moves towards them, the old enemies would leave them in peace, occupied as they were with their conflicts elsewhere. Conflicts the estates heard of only sparingly, involving as they did unknown states the empire had only vaguely heard of. Factions within the leadership called for increased spending on the fleet tasked with the estates defence. However development of the quickly growing economy and the facilities to fuel it demanded what few resources the empire could produce. But all in all things looked good.

Peoples’ doubts and expectations would be drastically challenged however when the taxis suddenly, and without warning, announced another declaration of war. The Estates were in a better state than they had been in the first war, and their allies had grown stronger also, this time better prepared for the challenge. The leadership went into war worried, but also optimistic of a better outcome.

 

[garion132]

By the Righteous of the Compact! Death to the Foes!

The son of His Intragalatic Imperial Majesty, Garion132, Immortal Emperor of Faloria:
Vladimir, The First of his Name, Emperor of Faloria, and Lord of the Reyubb, the Yeon States, the Yeon Conglomerate, and of the Othari

 

[Randallw]

The combined fleets converged on the Sol system. Such a vast array of ships, unprecedented in the galaxies history, had one unexpected effect. Each ship contained some means of intersystem travel, be it wormhole generation, hyper-drive, or warp engine. The combined effect of all these various propulsion systems had the effect of drastically warping the very fabric of the system. To the crews time flows as normal, but to observers outside the zone time seemed to crawl to a halt. Nonetheless the two sides moved to engage each other. The first casualties were between the Faloriens and the Banana alliance. The alliance forces were heavily outnumbered and after an initial period began to suffer heavy casualties. The Faloriens were reinforced when the Lord fleet, hurrying to defend its capital, entered from the Falorien rear. But then the Jac-aha fleet engaged. By this time the Alliance ships had dwindled to practically nothing. The FaLoriens and Lord fleets engaged the Jac-aha but were outnumbered. The Ilderians, slow to arrive, frantically attempted to cross the sytem to participate. Their numbers would have substantially affected the outcome, but by the time they could engage the Jac-aha, joined by scattered Taxis fleets, had emerged victorious. The Falorien capital ships, bereft of their escorts and seeing the tide had turned, vanished as they initiated an emergency retreat into hyperpace. The Lord fleet held on, desperately doing what they could until their inevitable destruction. After their destruction, the Jac-aha and Taxis turned to engage earth. They swept away the various stations orbiting earth and its nearby neighbour. The Ilderians had managed to construct a fortress in space that attacked the enemy fleet from afar. Various vassals of the enemy alliance were drawn into its space and dispatched as they appeared in small numbers. The Faloriens, having re-organised and repaired their ships returned, leading the enemy on a chase through the system, but it was to naught, the enemy having decimated the defences launched an invasion that, though valiantly resisted, overcame the defending forces and took the Imperial capital.

Elsewhere, reduced numbers of Lord vessels struck at the Taxis. Laying waste to various stations and mining operations they wreaked a hideous revenge. They were on the verge of bloackading a key Taxis colony when the Banana alliance forces, regrouped and enforced, heeded reports and aimed to engage. With the Capital occupied and the allies too weak to engage, the Lords heeded their allies’ advice and gave into the enemy’s demands. In the peace settlement the Lords regained Earth, but in return were forced to relinquish control of several colonies nearby. Also, the Penthulans were freed yet again, although at the same time taken under the direct control of the Taxis. The Lords’ however kept control of a new colony, so as to share control of the Grekil system.

Overwhelmed, the defeated allies sought security elsewhere. Requesting, and being granted, en masse membership in the Eastern Bloc, led by the Thack hegemony.

 

[Randallw]

2322:09:22



Daniel Johnson, representative for the Lords’ Estates perused the chamber floor. The former members of the Falor Compact had sought security in the arms of the Eastern Bloc. The years since had been peaceful ones, at least in regards to the old enemy. Shortly after the old allies had joined, the Thack, which the inexperienced Estates had assumed to be the leaders of their new allies had turned hostile. They had attempted to oust the Falor compact members after a vote to form a federation had not gone their own way. Unhappy with the refusal of the new bloc members to banish one of their own the Thack had broken off diplomatic ties and left the Bloc. Now the Thack sat behind their own borders attempting to form a separate alliance with the Fynestrans. Elsewhere the peace engendered by the new alliances continued. Johnson was not party to military secrets, his was strictly a diplomatic environment, but there had been murmurs from the military that had succeeded in leaking out. Johnson had made inquiries, but so far had learnt little more than that the military feared some enemy. At first he had assumed it was continuing trouble with the taxis, but they had been silent for some time. Ever since the beginning of the recent hostilities with them they had remained silent. He had enquired of his counterparts in the alliance if they were aware of anything pertinent, but even they were unaware of what it meant. Further inquiries had led to a meeting with Internal Security and a warning not to pursue the matter any further. Putting his worries behind him he mingled with the various dignitaries. As he discussed things with the Ilderian ambassador his attention was diverted by some commotion at the Chancellors podium. Murmurs rang out through the crowd as various pages struggled with some equipment. It died down when the large screen that loomed over the podium activated. A figure appeared, covered in static. After some adjustments Johnson could make out the arachnid form of a Jac-Aha soldier. He was shouting something, but as the chambers were not equipped to translate speech not part of the assembly the crowd was at a loss as to what it was saying. Whatever it was saying, it seemed aggravated. The image shifted to what was evidently an exterior view. Set in space, at first it appeared to be footage of some sort of nebula. A roughly purple smear, spread across nearby space. But then the image zoomed in showing that what at first had appeared to be a far off but large formation was instead much closer. What it showed was not as large as a nebula, but at this range the individual craft the cloud was formed of were vast in their dimensions. Thousands, no, tens of thousands of writhing vessels were converging on what was now clearly a Jac-Aha ship. One of the, alien was not a strong enough word, vessels loomed in the image before the transmission was cut off.

“Gentleman and ladies!” an official spoke off to one side of the screen. Johnson looked over and recognised the chancellor of the assembly.

“For several years now, security forces of our various polities have detected transmission from an alien source outside our galaxy. They have been working together to evaluate the threat. To avoid panic, this information has been kept secret. Over recent months the transmission have grown stronger. Until now however we were unable to determine the precise point at which the invaders would arrive. Now we have intercepted transmissions from the other side of our galaxy showing that the intergalactic invaders have arrived…in the Jac-Aha Cloud. Soon I will call a special meeting of the executive in which we will plan what support we will offer the JAc-Aha.” At this various dignitaries, most vehemently those of the former Falor Compact, interrupted.

“Yes, I know until recently they were our enemies” the chancellor continued, “but we have determined that the invading force is composed of hundreds of thousands of ship. If we do not support those who until recently we had disputes with we may all be overcome by this scourge.”

The chamber devolved into silence, before the gathered dignitaries joined together to begin planning what the Bloc would do.

 

[Randallw]

2326:10:14

Banding together the Eastern Bloc nations hurried to join the Golden Cloud alliance in their struggle against what had been identified as the Prethoryn Scourge. Most of the members were quick to assist, but the Lords were hampered by not only the distance to where the scourge had penetrated the galaxy but also the fact that until recently the 3 nations in between had been sworn enemies. The Taxis, still remaining silent, posed no difficulty, Lord wormhole stations could easily cover the distance across the erstwhile ally’s space. But with the Golden Banana polity and Jac-Aha cloud negotiations were needed to gain access to their space. Each sides bureaucracy worked to ease the agreements, but it still took time, and even once granted access the Lords still need to construct the stations needed to transport the Lord Fleet. Eventually though the Lord fleet, few in number as they worked at home to replace ships lost in the previous war, arrived on the border with those systems infested by the scourge. By this time those forces that had already arrived had beaten many attempts by the Prethoryns to expand. The enemy’s numbers were their one advantage, for surprisingly the native forces had weaponry that easily destroyed vast arrays of scourge vessels.

The Lord fleet arrived just as the allies met the Prethoryns in the Pash system. They advanced but before they could engage the Jac-Aha had successfully wiped out the enemy main fleet in the system. The lords diverted to assist in mopping up operations, but their aid was not needed.

At a loss as to how to assist the Lords milled about in the rear area waiting for a chance to make a contribution. When reports were intercepted that a Prethoryn queen had been sighted wounded just across the border the Lords rushed to claim it before their allies. But arriving in the target system they were to find that the Golden Banana had already begun operations to investigate directly. None the less the accompanying Lord science vessel, initially despatched to investigate any debris that might have become available if the fleet had managed to engage the enemy, moved to assist. Before it could reach the queen however the Golden Banana succeeded in claiming the queen and departed. With Prethoryn forces in the system the unsupported Lord Fleet retreated.

Considering the situation, where the allies had successfully pushed back the Prethoryns and were in the process of eliminating them, and with the fleet unable to contribute substantially, the Lords returned to their own space to continue plans to grow the fleet should, with the common threat extinguished, the old enemy turn belligerent again.

 

[Randallw]

There won't be anymore story because I missed a session sick, and then events transpired to keep me from playing anymore.

 

[Thousandflowers]

A shame! Its been a great adventure so far, well done!

 

[garion132]

all that happened was the Ai broke every alliance there was