Stellaris Ch 5

Chapter 5 - 2264 to 2273: A Dense Galaxy

Earth is not in great shape, as climate change over the last 3 centuries has rendered many parts unlivable. Several regions that once flourished are now deserts, such as a large chunk of central Delhi. The polar ice caps are now all but gone, with snow being something that only occurs in far north or mountainous regions. Sea levels have risen alarmingly, and many cities that occupied the coast of nations have become what is known as canal cities, while many others have simply ceased to exist, their occupants moving inland. With such change on Earth, the colonies see a huge amount of immigration.

There has been a suspiciously high number of deaths among the elite of the Federation. Not including the string of dead presidents, several high ranking members of the Federation have died of "natural causes". So far, there is no real suspicion, most of the few noticing being taken for conspiracy theorists. Meanwhile, the Think Tank permanently relocates to the Galactic Assembly Station orbiting Earth, after a mysterious incident on the surface that resulted in 25 deaths, half of them ruling elites.

The Aulderaan system is reached in February of 2265, and 1st Fleet engages the pirates. Instead of fighting autonomous drones or giant space squids, this combat is against fellow sentient beings, some of which are humans. Still, all of the enemy ships are destroyed or put out of action, and over a hundred pirates are taken captive.

The next election begins in December of 2265, and the candidates are: Kate TBC, now 102 years old; Clark Anguish running for his second term; Hayden Forster, commander of the UNS Oshere; Greg Roux, governor of the Unatra colony. Clark Anguish holds the most support, having been a good and steady president for the last ten years, which is exactly what the Federation needs.

Earth receives a very strange message from a civilization called the Jonus Extirpators. They appear to be giant robotic quadrupeds, intent on turning the galaxy into an inorganic civilization. Now the galaxy has two unthinking killing machine civilizations. A second message reaches earth, this one from the Jonus Star Mandate. They appear to be an older model of the Jonus robots from the Extirpators, and they claim to be the "Originals". Apparently, a rogue section rebelled against the Jonus Star Mandate a century ago and formed a hostile empire. The Originals are much more friendly.

The rest of the galaxy begins to reveal itself to Earth. The Hlilje Industrial, the Garganan Citizen Republic, the Tebbran Shipping Alliance, and the Religious Order of the Dark Star. At the moment, the Religious Order is being invaded by the Jonus Extirpators and the Tebbran Shipping Alliance. The other side of the galaxy is much more hostile and deadly than the side that the Federation resides in.

Clark Anguish wins reelection and has another 10 years in office.

The next few years are peaceful and prosperous for the Federation, and a third fleet is put into construction. In 2269, Earth proposes Galactic Assembly subsidized consumer goods, since many of the galactic civilizations are struggling with supplying their populaces with goods.

With threats on all sides, Earth, the Mandasura Tribes, the Cartel, and the Jibru Cooperative sign the Quadripartite Pact, or the Quad Pact. The four agree to come to the aid if one of the members is attacked. The Pact includes commercial trading rights, an immigration treaty, and research agreements.

The Religious Order of the Dark Star falls in 2271, and the Jonus Extirpators and the Tebbran Shipping Alliance seize control of their territories. This is the first downfall of a galactic empire since Earth's dive into the galaxy.

Europa is colonized soon after, bringing the Sol system's inhabited body count to 4. The private market for colonies is still giong strong, but it is an expensive one, and the few enterprises who have attempted it are not going to be able to expand any time soon. The next bodies in their sights will be Venus, Mars, and Pluto.
But, the colonists may not be alone on Europa...

The vote in the GA passes in mid 2271, and consumer goods is now subsidized by GA funds.

In 2273, there is substantial evidence to support the theory that a subterranean civilization exists on Europa, and that they are tunneling towards the surface. President Anguish is notified within hours, and he calls his council together, including the Think Tank. At this point, Anguish is 54, and his presidency has been a success, but this one event could spell disaster for his entire career.

The way he sees it, he is left with two choices: establish communications or strike preemptively at the burrowers. He asks his council to advise.

VOTE

(A) Establish Communications
Establishing communications would avoid damage to the moon, and the unknown species could be friendly. Striking before communicating would wipe out any chance of working with the aliens.

(B) Preemptive Strike
Striking first would avoid any hostile actions the aliens may be planning, and it could be the difference between the life and death of the colony.

This vote will end