The Emerging Empire

My empire started in the small system of Sol, on planet Earth. As you can already imagine, the people of Earth are an unoriginal lot, oxygen breathers on a rocky planet, frail and susceptible to the weather, but cunning, studious and an exceptionally industrious lot with a love of research, space travel and war.

By the time I had clawed my way into the Ogilarch, known as the "New World Order" publicly, but we prefer to call ourselves "The Keepers", Earth had become over populated. As "Secretary General" of the United Nations (which in fact, is just the shell for our Ogilarch), my first mission was to colonize nearby worlds and reduce the strain on our home world. In fact, plan of the Keepers was to expand the prescence of Humanity throughout the Galaxy at as quickly as we could. We have seen too many wars on our home world to know how quickly humanity can destroy itself. We've decided that it was best to spread out a bit.

The Keepers invested nearly 1 trillion dollars from private investments (nearly bankrupting their families in the process)into the ISA (The Internation Space Agency), which developed the first Tera Colony, which was used to colonize a the nearby planet of Mars. Being that the temparature extremes of Mars was not as drastic as any other neighbors, this was an ideal spot to colonize. The colonization of Mars was a sensation on our Earth. This break through encouraged the new generation to become scientists and explorers. We indulged this new sensation (albiet, we were the ones who put the media to the task of encouraging the young), and built Mars into a research Colony, where the youth would go to help push our technological limits even further.

With the population crisis solved, at least for the interim, the Keepers set its sights outside of Sol, and to the edge of our Solar system to the newly discovered "Warp Points". Our first exlporation frigates crossed into two new areas of space, to our great disapointment, no planets, habitable or other wise, were found. Only great storms in one system (it was a Nebula, as our scientiests quickly pointed out), and debrit circling a yellow star (either the result of a cataclysm of some sort, or the system is newly forming). Our explorers spent time mapping out these systems, all the while our scientists back home were working diligently on new Techology.

Our first concern was about intial contact with foreign civilizations. We believed that we were "not alone", but there had been no proof that other life existed "out there", so we gave into the demands of our military commanders, and invested modestly into improving the capabiltieis (armor, weaponry) of military vehicles, while researching how to produce and effectively utilize larger, more promising space vehicles.

Our initial research was slow. We knew that while our initial research resources were enough to address issues of Earth, we were woefully prepared to deal with the issues of space over all. Fortune again was on the side of Humanity, as our exploration frigates, nearly 1 year in space, uncovered new warp points leading to two new star systems, each with new "rock" planets. In fact, one system had two "Tera-Prime" planets as our scientists like the call them: "Planets with the same composition and Atmosphere of earth, inhabitable without the need of artificial habitat". Four other "Tera" planets were found along as well.

While the colonization of Mars stired up the imagination of the young, the finding of two Tera-Prime planets, brought hope to all of humanity. The Keepers decided it was time to split the population of Earth into three, dividing them amongst the new planets. With the new space, came a population boost, thus came a great upswing in the greatest resource we have. People.

The decision was on with what to do with our newly founded colonies. It took a year to manufacture the colony ships, and another year to manufacutre the freighters to transfer the people. The critical time was coming. The Keepers met as a whole to decide the fate of Humanity. The meeting was known as the "Council of Tri-Tera-Prime" (council of the three home worlds). It was decided that the emphasis would remain on research, with a small emphasis on upgrading storage capacity for Teran resources, mining/refining/farming producing capaicty increase (on the mars-like colonies), while restricting one of the rock colonies for "Government Use".

On this massive rock planet with no atmosphere, the Keepers decided to utilize this planet for nothing more than its Center for Intelligence and Security. It was decided, due to history of man kind, that a thorough and extensive intelligence networ k would be needed to keep the Keepers informed, and the Tri-Tera-Prime Alliance from crumbling into another Human Civil War.

In the three years that followed the establishment of the Council of Tri-Tera-Prime, the reach of humanity grew by five new star systems, for a total of 8 habitable, and 4 uninhabitable star systems, with no contact with alien life, which by now, was believed to be inexistant. Technology was keeping pace with the expanse of humanity throught the stars, but it was starting to fall behind. Technology could no longer keep Humanity connected in the meaningful way that kept distrust from settling in, and civil war from taking over. Several new Intelligence Colonies had been established to govern the growth of the "Tera-Sphere" (as the systems that have fallen under the influence of a united Humanity had been started to be called). While Technological advances slowed to a stream, the growth of Humanity didnt not slow down.

It was at this point that the Keepers, once again met to decide the future of Humanity, as it has done since the first days of humanitys first steps into space. It was decided that Humanity would put all of its efforts into developing suitable colonies on planets that were once unimagineable to colonize effectively. These "Ice Planets" as they were called, knew only nuclear winter, with temperatures so extreme that only small outposts could be placed on them, and certainly no flourishing colonies of Humans could exist. Now, this was to pass as a reality. A new meeting took place under the direction of the secret organization known as "The Keepers", and all the systems dropped their research, and focused on the single goal to create new Ice Colonies where humanity could thrive.

Two years after the initiative started, the first Ice Colony came into existence. Humanity now had a second type of home on planets once unihabitable to humanity. This solved the growth problem that the Keepers had sought to solve, and also the technology problem as well. Humanity, for the time being, no longer had to spread into further star systems to find new homes, but instead could colonize these Icy death orbs that were once impossible to inhabit.

Two months later the first Ice Colony settled down... and at that moment, our first contact with an Alien civilization took place. It is a race known as the Anakar, a devoutly religious society. They appeared at the edge of Sol in one ship, and met with me, the Secretary.

After much discussion, we came to an agreement of a small amount of trade, and an agreement of non-agression should our ships meet in open space. They showed us where there home world is, but it was so far away, our space charts could not connect to it. How they found us, and how their merchants reach our borders, is still a mystery to us. Our intelligence services are useless in dealings with the Anakar, so information that we gather about them is strictly through trade.

It had been two years after our contact with the Anakar that Humanity had colonized all the "Pluto-Prime" (Similar to Tera-Prime, except that these are ice planets where humanity can exist without artifial habitats) planets, and most of the Huge and Large Plutonian (pluto-like) planets in the Tera-Sphere. The growth of Humanity in both Colonies and Technology was impressive, even if it was modest in comparison with the power wielded by the Anakar. This growth was seemingly slowing much to the dismay of the Keepers, who behind the scenes envied the power wielded by the Anakar, and who also quietly fealt threatened by their ability to appear and dispear at the edge of the Terra-Sphere. It was at this time that the Ogilarchs found someone else to fear, the Ziglack.

With most of the prime real estate in the Tera-Sphere already having been settled, the Keepers decided that it was time to expand their vision within the galaxy, and send forth small fleets of exploration vehicles to the neighboring systems. To the North West (for lack of better directions) an exploration fleet was ambushed when exiting a warp point by a new race known as the Ziglack. Never having faced space combat before, Humanity was woefully equiped to face their more experienced neighbors. The battle of the Yulowag System was disasterous, with all but 1 of the exploration vehicles destroyed, and sent fleeing back into the Tera-Sphere.

The wake up call had come. Humanity had been at rest for far too long, and had been smitten by its own image to see the universe for what it really is, a big place full of predators. The Ziglack fleet that our frigates encountered had nearly 12 destroyers in it at the warp point. That was not counting how many more were in that particular system. The Tera-System that connected, known as the Rigel System, had only 1 mars like planet in it, known as Rigel I, with a ship yard. The entire Human War machine consisted of 3 destroyers, and 8 frigates, and this was scattered across the Tera-Sphere into 3 groups, of 1 destroyer, and 2 frigates each.

The Keepers went into an emergency meeting. Did the exploration fleet run into a "Defense Fleet", "Invasion Fleet", or an "Exploration Fleet"? Could the loss in this battle be construed as a sign of weakness and plunge us unto a war that our neighbor may soon win?

The call to arms was answered. Ship yards throughout the Tera-Sphere was put into emergency mode as Frigates and Destroyers were being constructed. Soldiers and Fighters were being assembled, and at the same time the Keepers sent forth emesaries to this new neighbor to try and come to an agreement of peace and understanding.

The emessaries never returned.

While most of the Ogilarch had deemed our intelligence service as "inept and ineffective" when dealing with alien species (since its failure in returning ANY useful information about the Anakar), I deemed to give our intelligence services another shot. I allocated some of our resources away from defending the empire to investigating this new enemy. This was a risk considering that our colonies were stunned by the loss in the Yulowag, and all available intelligence and security agents were taxed to ease the panic (and break up any insurrection groups).

My gamble payed off. In a HUGE way. The Ziglack, while frightening space combatants, are woefully relaxed when it comes to security, and very naive when it comes to protecting information. Our agents quickly infiltrated all aspects of their society. Within two months, we new the location of every ship, every colony within control of the Ziglack. We new they were coming for Rigel, and our newly constructed fleet was more than adequate in dispensing with the invader.

As our intelligence found out, while the fleet of the Ziglack may have been twice the size of theirs, the technology they had was three to four generations behind ours, which was good to know, considering we only put a modest amount of research into weaponry and combat (a stance the council quickly rectified). We lost no ships in the defense of Rigel, although we outnumbered 2 to one. This was largely due to the fact that our ships had shields, and their ships did not.

While we still did not have enough to mass an invasion of the Ziglack system of Yulowag, we unleashed our Intelligence services upon them. Needless to say, it was better that we did not have the force to launch an invasion, as the losses we would have suffered would have been unessecary. The damage inflicted by our intelligence service was unimaginable. Within one year, every system controlled by the Ziglack was rioting. Three of their five systems were in a plague state(two of which died off by the time our invasion fleet ever entered the system).

By the time the Keepers decided the fleet was well enough prepared for all contingencies (mobile repair yards, troop transports, point defense destroyers) were met, the invasion was underway. The Battle for Yulowag was... for lack of a better term, lack luster. Only a hand full of enemy ships remained, yet those that did remain had weaponry disproportionate to the rest of their manifest. Our intelligence concluded that they were given weapons technology by an outside empire, but we do not know who, since they have no immediate neighbors (most of the Ogilarch suspects the Anakar).

The improved weaponry only served to slow the inevitable invasion down by 1 month as the damaged ships in our main fleet recovered courtesy of our repair ships. Their homeworld, and supporting planets, most of which had only 1M population remaining from rioting and starvation, fell without a shot fire. Only 1 research colony resisted, but in the end, the Ziglack Collective was no more than a note in history. Its people were brought quickly into the fold of the great Tera-Sphere.

Since the "Great Integration", we have developed the ability to colonize Gas Planets, and have effectively colonized every planet in the Terra-Sphere. We have reached Immigration and Trade agreements with the Anakar. We are again at peace, but we are again looking for more worlds to expand into, to bring the Human and Ziglack way of life to. This will eventually bring us to the door step of our no longer superior neighbor, the Anakar. How will they recieve us? As friends or as occupiers? I suppose the decision is theirs. If they do not bring themselves into the Tera-Sphere, we will bring them in. The universe is too small to have many governments. Peace will come when all work for one another, and the Keepers will keep the universe peaceful, despite the short term costs.