A War for the Stars

[sachmo]

Originally posted by Taz-in-Space:
Star Wars? I thought it was Lost in Space!
Oh Well, it's still a good story!

Lost Star Wars in Space?

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2400.7:

Things have been too busy for me to write here lately. Nova II and III have been built and launched. We have a mining colony on Virgillia IV and a farming/mining colony on Virgillia II. Nova IV launches in a few days for Virgillia VI, the Last colonizable planet in this system under current technology; we must now set out for the nearest stars.

It will be years before we have our first native-built hyperdrive, but there may be a way around this. There are four stellar anomalies at the edges of the system; according to native scientists, these could be wormholes. If they are wormholes, and navigable, we might be able to colonize another system or two and perhaps re-establish communications with the Empire.

Wormholes are extremely rare in the known Galaxy and most of them occur deep in interstellar space. It is highly unlikely that this system should have not one, but four of them.

But the potential for gain is too great to be ignored. I have ordered a new class of ship built to explore these objects. The Seeker I will have a corvette-sized hull, four atomic engines and enough cryogenic cells to get her there and back.

On another note, the people seem to be happy again. Perhaps we can go back to reactor production.

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2400.8:

I have decided to go ahead with our energy program; we need shipboard reactors in order to patrol this system effectively. Now that we have colonies on several planets, this has become a concern. I have also halted Seeker I's construction until we can fit her with a reactor.

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2400.9:

Shipboard atomic reactors are now possible. As a side benefit, we can now freeze greater amounts of tibanna gas into cryogenic cells, all of which should greatly increase our ships' range. The Nova and Seeker designs have been upgraded to include reactors and the new generation cryogenic cells.

The Seeker class also sports seven Mk II laser cannons. There may or may not be spacefaring aliens in this region of the Galaxy, but if there are we cannot be defenceless.

[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.

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2401.0:

We have established a farming colony on Virgillia VI and Seeker I will be ready next tenth. Everything else proceeds far too slowly.

Our training camps are a prime example. We will need to staff them with Imperial Army officers and instructors, of which we have only a handful here. By rights we should have a general in charge of our future system army forces, but the highest-ranked Army officer on planet is Colonel Sheer.

We will also need stormtrooper and starfighter forces, and with these we face a greater problem. Stormtroopers and starfighter pilots are raised and trained on secret, specialized worlds; the distribution of their units among Imperial Fleet and local governors is handled by their own branches.

We, on the other hand, will have to raise these forces from the local citizenry. And to do that it seems I will have to grant myself extraordinary powers.

I have to make plans. I have to find out which of my staff will support me in this.

[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.