Stellaris Ch 9

Chapter 9 - 2319 to 2340: Years of Prosperity

It does not take long for the Lozavata Horde to sweep through the Jonus Extirpators. The Federation's military advisers estimate that the Jonus Fleet has been reduced to near rubble. If this continues, half of the galaxy will be under their control in less than a century. President Zen discusses with her advisers, and it is agreed that the military needs to be strengthened in response.

In 2320, the Galactic Assembly repositions itself to the Hlilje Industrial. No one is quite sure why the continue moving from place to place, but several scientists speculate the Think Tank is conducting research.

In 2320, a massive new capital ship is developed, called a Battleship. Three are put into production, one for each fleet, and the first of them are completed in 2321. As far as Earth is aware, the Federation is the first civilization to construct such massive military warships other than the Kalaxenan Ancients and the Thimoid Watchers.

It seems the Sirgoggs of Europa are still willing to work with Earth. In 2323, they send all the minerals they acquired during their excavations in the past few years, as well as many gems mined close to the core, as a gift. It is much appreciated, and the Federation rejoices that the friendship will continue.

The first stages of the Macroengineering Testing Station are complete later that year. The second part will take another 5 years but promises huge leaps forward in engineering research.

The next few years are peaceful, and in 2328, the next election rolls around. Ronald TBC of the Xeno Liberty League leads with 38%, while sitting president Zen of the Free Elections Center is at 30%. Surprisingly, a defect from the Yssravannar Reavers, who has lived in the federation for the last 30 years, is running as an independent and has a whopping 18% support. Lastly, Carizac is running once more for the Institute for the Advancement of Science, with 12%.

In the last few days leading up to the election, Ronald TBC loses support in favor of President Zen. Too many campaign mistakes led to a lack of trust between him and the voters, and gets fewer than 20% of the votes.

But just weeks into her second term, Space Force One, the President's designated ship, loses contact with the Federation. She was on her way to Forsteria to meet with local leaders and scientists to talk about the current state of research on the planet. In the days that follow, only fragments of the ship are found, and it is concluded that something went wrong in-transit, and Space Force One was destroyed. The media is in uproar, with theories as far fetched as multidimensional beings obliterating the President. Officials of the Federation suggest that it was a problem with the ship that caused the hyperdrive to malfunction and tear itself apart. However, no real evidence can be found, and for now, more investigations will have to be conducted.

The election picks back up, and the new candidate for the Free Elections Center is Tina Nikolaevich, currently researching societal sciences on Earth. It appears that Ronald TBC will have a second chance at a campaign for the presidency.

His second campaign is much more transparent and voter-centric, and TBC is elected President in August of 2323. He promises extended infrastructure to grow the economy of the Federation.

A new system on the very rim of the galaxy is discovered in December of 2329: the Irassian System. Based on the destroyed planets, and several artifacts found in close proximity to the system, an empire existed where the Federation is currently located. In fact, several very advanced, yet very old, shipyards have been discovered in orbit around the main planet. They are nearly planetary in size and could provide many technological advancements for Earth. Irass appears to have been the home system of the empire, but more research will have to be done.

The Lilarobius-Kirillian war ends in 2330, and the Kirillian Empire claims several of their lost systems. It is estimated that over a billion were killed, mainly from Lilarobious bombardment and invasion.

A fully intact city is discovered on the surface of Irass IV, a planet otherwise devastated by long-ago bombardment. Despite the age, the city appears on the surface to be completely fine, other than the lack of inhabitants. A few weeks later, a dead species, preserved in cryosleep, is discovered. The remains are kept on ice and brought to Earth for study.

Another discovery is made in early 2330. It is a massive planetary shield array on Irass VIIa.

Construction finally finishes on the Macroengineering Testing Station in late 2330. Progress halted for a while after the death of President Zen, and, in honor of the one of commissioned it, the station is named the Zen Engineering Station.

A second megastructure is put into production in the Culdax system, around the yellow-white dwarf star, one of three stars in the system. This will be a particle accelerator to conduct physics research, and a third, biological megastructure is planned.

In 2331, Irass IV begins to be terraformed. The huge cloud of debris surrounding it is also collected and turned into minerals. This will be a long process, but eventually the planet will have a similar climate to Earth. At the same time, Condarra II is selected as the next colony.

In 2334, while exploring the far reaches of the galaxy, the UNS Verigan meets with a fleet of mining droids from a lost empire. They are vastly superior in firepower compared to the small science ship, and Randall Pyrolithic and his entire crew are killed before they can escape. Earth does not get their SOS for another few weeks.

With the death of the famous Pyrolithic, the media plays older clips of his interviews, commenting on the straightforward and honest answers he gave:

[In regards to the Altair Wormhole, 2304]
Q: What do you think of the technology
A: It creates a hole

Q: What do you think will happen when you go through the worm hole
A: We go through a worm hole

Q: What happens if something goes wrong
A: We probably die

There are also rumors circulating of a rare and supposedly controversial interview with the android Kelebek, recorded shortly after the success of the venture. Strict censorship prevented a large audience, and the Federation government is in possession of all recordings. For now, they are unwilling to release it.

In response to the overwhelming enemies that the Klaggian Dynasty is facing, the Jibru Cooperative takes them under their wing as a vassal. At the same time, the Lozavata Horde reaches Jibru territory, invading planets and enslaving the populations.

The next 4 years are uneventful, and the election begins in 2338. TBC is up once again for election, and the only new face in the candidates is Yprak Lobbtika, an independent Screk.

Tina Nikolaevna takes the election and is voted as the next president of the Federation. She worked for years as a researcher on Earth, but her recent foray into politics proved effective, and she quickly became popular. She promises more investment into the sciences to put Earth even further ahead of the rest of the galaxy. She also says the single greatest threat to the Federation is the Lozavata Horde, and a much stronger military will be needed in the future.

A very secret, little-known division called TT-01 begins Project Revive. The plan is to awaken the extinct species discovered on Irass IV. Newly researched --by TT-01-- synthetic sciences will create artificial bodies into which will be transferred the consciousness of the dead species. It takes weeks, but the consciousnesses of hundreds of formerly dead ancient aliens are transferred into new bodies. They are thrilled to be alive once more. The TT-01 Division sends the Awakened to an uncolonized planet in the Federation borders.

They settle on Ruthauri IV, renamed to New Irass in honor of their lost home. Many in the Federation are hesitant to welcome these new strangers, who have 2000 years of history to catch up on; the general public has no idea how they suddenly were revived. It also appears that TT-01 has been researching AI and robotic technology for decades and intends on continuing to do so for the indefinite future.

After years of conquests and billions of deaths, the Great Khan Petals of Indigo has died, murdered by one of his own concubines. The Horde is thrown into disarray, and it appears that the Lozavatans are thrown back into turmoil.

The Horde splinters in 2340, and several powerful military commanders claim the title of Great Khan. The rest of the free galaxy rejoices at their downfall.

The Stellar Particle Accelerator is complete a few months later. It encompasses an entire star in the Culdax system. The next megastructure lacks funding, so it will be a few more years before it is underway.

With the threat of the Lozavata Horde a thing of the past, the Federation turns its eyes to threats closer to home. The Vissari state has been ruthless to its occupied Uri systems, killing opposition relentlessly, and seeking new conquests. The Cartel insists that war is necessary to bring this threat to an end and impose a fair and just government in its place. The Federation is vastly more powerful than the Vissari, the Steel Bank, and the Triad, and it is likely that the war will be quick and easy. They send a delegate to the Federation to discuss war, and the President invites the Think Tank and the Counsel to the meeting to advise.