Jump 435: Stellaris

Jump #435: Stellaris
>Four of Wands (Completion): A chance to rest and rejoice, having successfully resolved a matter of great import.
>Homeworld: Continental
>Traits: Adaptive (Free), Enduring/Venerable (-150, Discounted), Psionic (-150, Spiritual)
>Ethics: Militarist, Collectivist, Spiritualist
>Race: Humanoid (Human descendent)
>Identity: (-200) Scientist, Leader
>Drawbacks: (+3100) Extended Stay, Leviathans, Fallen Empire, War in Heaven, Unbidden, The Swarm
In for a penny, in for a whole lot of pounds.
>Bonus Points: (+1000) Ethics Tech, (+1000) Ethics Perks
I can convert CP to ET/EP at 1:1., You'll find these are bigger point sinks than you'd think, so I've just pooled it ALL together. For a grand total of 6,100 points. (Still not enough to get everything you want in Naruto, though.)
>Trustworthy Emperor (5200)
>God Emperor (4600)
>Genius (Free, Scientist)
>Safe Researcher (4450, Scientist)
>Reverse Engineering (4250, Scientist)
>The Ever Expanding Tree (3950, Scientist)
>Tree of Life (3150)
>Fallen Blueprints (2750, Scientist)
>Upgraded Reactors (2700, Militarist)
>Genetic Manipulation (2550, Collectivist)
>Psionic Soldiers (2400, Spiritualist)
>A Ring That Surrounds The Sun (1900, Spiritualist)
>A Station That Sees All (1400, Spiritualist)
>A Shield Of The Mind (1250, Spiritualist)
>In The Name Of Our God (1200, Spiritualist)
>Evolutionary Mastery (900, Spiritualist)
>Psionic Awakening (600, Spiritualist)
>Master Builders (200)

This galaxy is teeming with life. And not just simple. Intelligent life. Spacefaring life. Several empires had spread throughout, some tens of thousands of years old, some tens of millions of years old, but the five largest had one thing in common: they were in a period of stagnant decline. This, of course, meant that there were any number of star systems that were freed of the yoke of colonialism or the burden of unequal alliances, or simply new players to the galactic stage.

Certainly, they had to innovate alone and play politics while carefully stepping around the big players, but the galaxy is a large place and this particular galaxy seemed to have a Precursor race, or perhaps races, that ensures there were plenty of habitable worlds of all types. That, or simple blind luck.

Two of these ancient and great civilizations recently woke from their slumber. During their period of decline they'd fallen into practice of influencing other species and fighting proxy wars, where it had formerly been at each others' throats, burning worlds to do nothing but prove that they were right and their opponent was wrong. They called it a doctrinal conflict. A very clinical term. The United Systems, based on the planet New Terra, and the Commonwealth of Man, based on a planet they named Unity. Both were human, children of Earth separated by time and by space, but one was a confederation that welcomed other species (so long as they knew their place in their communist "utopia" built upon slave labor), and the other a fanatical xenophobic race that wanted to rule the heavens but became bogged down by its own bureaucracy. (As for Earth itself? It nuked itself into oblivion centuries ago.)

Humanity had reached the stars, split into factions, and there were pockets of outlying human civilizations among the stars, never mind that I could FEEL the stars teeming with life of all types. I found myself within one of these human civilizations, though; this particular one, the United Republic of Constellations, was unique due to their gifts. In a more hostile universe, they'd have all been driven insane by dint of being psykers, but here... the Warp- rather, the Shroud- was much calmer, with as many benevolent influences as malevolent. And in addition to that, they'd learned genetic manipulation - made certain that the Force was strong with every last one of them, such as it was, as well as extending their lifespans considerably.

Of course, it helped nothing that every one of them was able to psychically perceive my presence, after all a late-game jumper not actively concealing their abilities is pretty overwhelming to such senses. While this wasn't quite a matter of instantly bending at the knee, it is little surprise that they realized my nature - appearing from nowhere, pushing their sciences ahead a century or better, dropping further research from some long-lost fallen empire, and intending to stay to the end to see them prosper - and they pushed me toward full leadership.

It helped that Sajuuk and its accompanying fleet was present for the defense of their capitol world against an attack by pirates seeking slaves, shortly after my arrival. And the Tree of Life that extended everyone's already-long lifespan yet further was known to have been sourced from me. But I warned them that there would be prices to pay for everything. Certainly, I brought a great deal of knowledge with me, knowledge that could easily see them ascend to the level of a galactic power, but there were already crises on the horizon.

The Tree of Life, and the blueprints of technologies only seen in fallen empires? The cost of that was the impending war between the United Systems and Commonwealth, with no guarantee that we would be uninvolved.

The plans and ability to rapidly construct ringworlds and sensors that can stretch across an entire galaxy? They would be necessary shields against the coming invasions of the Unbidden and the Swarm - each of those being the ultimate expressions of psionic or biological purity.

Their scientists being able to reverse engineer as never before, and bring their sciences to heights unimagined? They would be necessary to deal with the dimensional horror was wished to breach its way into this reality. (Or not as necessary as expected, but... that was simply circumstances being favorable.)

It took time, but eventually... it was decided that these were acceptable prices to pay for the eventual results: a golden age for their civilization, a possible end to death of old age, and their ascendency over more selfish and destructive civilizations as a dominant player in the galaxy.

Throwing their society into a bit of chaos was necessary - basically, their neighbors were extremely confused when discussions took place about galaxy-ending threats that sounded insane. This was upgraded to extreme concern when what had been a relatively peaceful society (even if it was peace-through-strength of a sort) ramped up to a full blown war economy, spy networks rooted out with frightful efficiency and yet repatriated unharmed, and reports that the population's latent psionic gifts were activating strongly and on a wide scale.

In the decade before the chaos struck, it was rumored that the new emperor of this sect of humanity (and the irony in that - an emperor in charge of a republic?) had made deals with otherworldly entities. While this was a thing that was in theory possible for them... it should not have been possible to it to happen this early, and yet. I thought to speak to the Patrons in the Shroud, to perhaps empower the people I now led, but the costs... well, you don't make deals with the Ruinous Powers, just like you don't cut a deal with a dragon.

It was tempting, but precognition confirmed what common sense told that me: the price would be quite unreasonable to ask others to pay, no matter which Covenant empowered the population. Besides, once I took the reins, everyone associated with any branch of the government was rapidly able to gain expert level proficiency at their job, and production and research was amplified several times over without the need for further compromise. It could have been a veritable golden age, if not for the looming darkness.

Regardless, however... all of this was the prelude. The ramp-up included revolutionizing their technological base, setting up industrial-scale shipbuilding, some subtle social engineering to get the population to breed like rabbits, and the establishment of a psionic warrior order. Yes, I gave them lightsabres. No, I did not call them jedi, just imperial knights. And the Tree of Life, or Yggdrasil as the people came to call it, rooted upon the planet and the average lifespan of the species doubled - eventually it would become known as being half a millennium.

Then the Troubles began. Whole fleets were engaged in action overnight, using technology from other universes to upgrade without the need for an overhaul as new technological developments came about. The Swarm was first, and it was fought without mercy. Psionic shielding was wonderful for defense, but for offense... we had to rely on weapons that they otherwise would not have had. Cauterizing the infection, and extending our reach steadily back along the Swarm's invasion path. The planets left behind were glassed, there was no choice, but it was simple. Clean. Casualties were surprisingly low - well, our casualties, anyway.

When the Jehetma Dominion imploded and the Unbidden flooded forth, the casualties were much higher. And, naturally, the Dominion bordered us - and was a buffer between the United Systems and the Commonwealth as well as other smaller independent human nations. This was the trigger that roused them both from slumber, all the and nations of mankind did their best to push the Unbidden back and seal them. And then, without a mutual enemy, the empires were brought into inevitable conflict and demanded that we choose a side.

When we declined, they BOTH became hostile toward us, but it was too late to change our minds and side with one above the other. The only reason we weren't immediately destroyed was due to luring both their attack fleets to the black hole where the Dimensional Horror was trying to reach into this universe, and they had busied themselves attacking each other before they realized there was a greater threat. The mutual orgy of destruction between the three sides weakened the Horror enough that the weapons used against the Swarm were able to strike the heart of the thing and end it, even if Sajuuk bears the scars of that battle to this very day.

If the two empires weren't hostile before, our research into jump drives would have ensured they were, but they had no data on how we had defeated their fleets and they were too focused on each other to deal with us immediately, giving a temporary reprieve.

All of this, within five years. All on top of each other. And the only reason it was weathered was the mass production of ships on a scale that could not have possibly occurred had Hiigaran technology been applied, enabling the construction of corvettes in minutes, frigates and destroyers in hours. And the very careful placement of Sajuuk to strike calculated blows, using the Path to Victory for best possible results.

In game terms: I cheated in a fleet with obscene weapons and defense, I pursued both psionic and biological ascension, stacked so many bonuses (via perks) on my population that it was nearly matching the biggest fallen empires in wartime mode, and on day one started building the sensor station in the home system with my own supplies rather than my empire's. After all, I can create something out of nothing, and I have so very many methods of overunity energy production and converting energy into any matter I require. Give me a physics book and I'll show you just how the rules were meant to be broken.

In practical terms: every possible system except Earth converted to ringworlds, one at a time, though the process was far faster than it had any right to be. (Over fifty years to pull that off in vanilla? Ten for me, at most.) The Republic expanded steadily, subsuming the other human nations around it and seeing to it that their genetics were modified and upgraded to be in line with the rest of this branch of humanity... really, the majority of the work done matched what I'd been doing all along with upgrading people, it was just applying it on a wider scale. A few things were added to the process after my arrival of course - the ability to access magic systems, for instance - but by and large, this was a nation of psychics and telekinesis and other functions were a part of everyday life.

Over the course of ten thousand years, a great many upheavals happened. The Republic reclaimed Earth, and the Johj were uplifted and quietly moved to a planet of their own; Earth was brought to Gaia-world status and the capitol was moved there. The wars with the United Systems and Commonwealth eventually ended with their full defeat, and from there the remaining pockets of humanity were brought under the Republic's banner as well, with all of humanity given the gifts that the Republic's branch had. From there... really, it was a matter of maintaining balance. Bringing the gift of sapience to species on the cusp? Not a bad thing. Making their planets a protectorate so no one interferes in their social development? Surely positive.

Sure, there are bumps along the way, and there are wars both covert and interstellar. But... after ten thousand years, the peace I've given it is ingrained in the social consciousness. There may be wars once I leave, but on the scale of what was seen before, burning worlds? That would be unimaginable even before you took into account that 80% of the occupied systems had ringworlds rather than planets.