A War for the Stars

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.1:

Fate has been dealing its cards again. Seeker I was built and launched on schedule, and set out for the nearest of the four stellar anomalies placed around this system. It turned out to be a wormhole after all, a large, stable and apparently navigable wormhole. I was about to order Captain Veren to approach it when he asked permission to enter it.

What he found on the other side was incredible. He emerged into another star system, with one fully and four partially colonizable planets, and two other wormholes at its edges. The scientists here are still spinning theories to explain all this, but I must conclude that these wormholes - or hyperconduits, as some of the scientists are calling them - are artificial. And whoever made them may still be around.

All of this actually worked to my advantage. I gathered all top Imperial personnel - Army, Navy, ISB, civilian - and told them a scary story about a possible race of super-aliens with vastly superior technology. They all agreed that we should use every means possible to re-establish contact with the Empire to warn them of this, and that the most logical way to do it would be to use these hyperconduits to colonize as many systems as possible until we reach one that is in a known region of the Galaxy.

They agreed that every new system that we colonize should be subordinate to Virgillia. In effect, we are now a sector and I am its Moff.

With that question settled, I ordered the construction of five new colonizers meant for the new system, which we called Gesaril. The best way to be acknowledged as Moff is to act like one.

[Erax]

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2401.2:

We've returned safely from the Gesaril system and are on our way to the next wormhole leading out from Virgillia. The ship and her crew are performing well. None of us had ever jumped into a completely unknown system before and now we are about to do it a second time.

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.2:

I have decided to retain the title of Admiral while acting as sector Moff. This way it will be easier if - or rather when - I am called upon to explain my actions to my superiors.

Next: First contact.

[Erax]

Author's message: I have the next installment ready but I think I'll keep you in suspense until tomorrow.

[Taz-in-Space]

...Taz can wait; but remember: It's not nice to tease a TAZ!

[ June 08, 2003, 03:19: Message edited by: Taz-in-Space ]

[Erax]

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2401.3:

We entered our second wormhole hoping to find another colonizable system. As soon as we were through, our scanner displays went wild. This system was inhabited ! We picked up signals from at least three planets and three ships. They saw us too; we were beamed by two of their ships, which changed course to intercept us. We relayed all of this to Sector Command and received orders to back out through the wormhole.

We're now on our way to Sector HQ on Virgillia V to resupply. Then we go on to another wormhole.

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.3:

Transmissions from the alien race in the Galthus system have been decoded. They are a near-human, oxygen-breathing species native to that system. They call themselves the Andarr.*

Another alien species with interstellar capability was found in the Gesaril system. Nova V had just entered the system when their scanners picked up a large unknown ship, entering the system from one of the unexplored hyperconduits. Transmissions from that ship have also been decoded; it was a warship manned by the Yakrin*, another humanoid, oxygen-breathing species.

The Andarr and Yakrin are both unknown quantities. They are capable of interplanetary travel and the Yakrin ships can travel to other systems. The Andarr war fleet seems to consist of only two ships, both of them larger than our corvette-sized Seekers. The Yakrin vessel is roughly as large as the largest Andarr ship, and the size of their fleet is unknown. Technology is unknown for both races.

Given all this, the standard Imperial doctrine of intimidation and annexation becomes void. While we are a part of the Empire, circumstances prevent us from acting like the Empire. We must negotiate to gain time. To that end, I have sent both alien races a treaty proposal.

The game of Empire requires force. Lacking a strong position, we must play a game called Republic.

* - The Crossover mod contains B5, ST and SW races. I will retain the original names for some of them and change the names of the rest as necessary to fit them into the SW universe.

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.4:

Both of our proposals have been rejected. The Andarr are distant, the Yakrin contemptuous. We have much to learn about diplomacy. The Yakrin war vessel retreated back through the hyperconduit to parts unknown. Nova V can now proceed to Gesaril II, where we have detected what may be deserted alien ruins. It is my hope that these ruins can give us some clue as to who built this net of hyperconduits between the stars.

On another note, our Army bases have been built, now we must train their staff. Meanwhile we are going back to engine research. Starfighters are the cheapest and fastest way to defend our new colonies, but first we need proper ion engines for them.

[Erax]

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2401.5:

There was another colonizable system behind the third wormhole, with one oxygen rock world, three rock worlds with various other atmospheres, and three airless rock moons. We called this system Berlin.

We've just emerged back into Virgillia and are now headed towards this system's Last unknown wormhole. Current supplies should allow us to go one system beyond that before returning to base.

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.5:

Our factories will begin to deliver implosion drives next tenth. These drives consume a great deal of energy, but are very powerful. They might be useful on colonizing missions, which are one-way trips and therefore need fewer supplies.

We will recruit our first Army troops next tenth, but we wil need more time to train and equip them.

We have sent the Andarr some goods in order to achieve good will.

The colonists have landed on Gesaril II. We ordered them to explore the alien ruins as soon as possible; they found an abandoned, partially buried alien city. Further investigation revealed that this planet must have been a mining colony - some of the mining equipment was still operable, in fact. We will study this alien technology and use it to upgrade our own facilities. It is still unclear who built this colony on Gesaril, but I doubt it was the same race that built the hyperconduits.

Nova VI has been launched to colonize Gesaril V. That oxygen world will be the future system capital.

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.5 (addendum):

Yesterday I had a meeting with one Commodore Haase, supposedly in charge of radioactives refining on Virgillia V. It seems that in addition to his known duties he is responsible for ISB operations in the region. He was sent here with duties similar to mine; develop Imperial intel capacity in the region to support Fleet operations. Now that we have contact with potentially hostile aliens, he chose to reveal his ISB status to me in order to get permission to build Imperial intel centers in the system*.

We agreed to build them on Virgillia IV. Some of the mining facilities there will secretly become intel centers while we upgrade the rest to use the Gesaril technology. To an outsider, it will seem like they are all undergoing the same upgrades.

* - That's the official story, but you can guess what happened in-game.

[ April 27, 2003, 12:57: Message edited by: Erax ]