Long Historian Page!
Week One, The First Seven Years: On the History of the Starwhomper Superstar Cluster and What We Found There
Also Known as The Hegemony of Pax Argentis
"The state whose point of view is used is the Terranic Union. I promise that, within this history I shall not reveal secrets of the state other than the irrevokably set actions which cannot be undone or diverted. All Hail the Unionator!"
The history of the Starwhomper Superstar cluster is relatively and amazingly peaceful in these first years compared to other clusters settled by the Aries Corporation. The only wars were during the first hour when the Glorious Terranic Union rebeled and defeated the Aries Corporation Security Forces, scatting it to the south and east and establishing a new Liberatarian Nation based on the creed of personal freedom of choice within a limitless galaxy.
Local History
It was only a matter of time before a Charismatic leader took over the Union. Now known only as the Unionator, he has successfully re-engineered many Aries machines and transports, allowing him to jump the shark on his competators. He won the title of Unionator in a landslide election and shed his former name, leading us ever since.
Despite the advanced jump engines we scavanged from the Aries Intergalactic Transports, which provided additional speed and range, about half of the stars in our corner were out of reach. We began letting the public sector invest heavily in the economy as our scientists re-engineered ever more discoveries from our dwindling stocks of Aries ships and perhaps find new ways to increase our fuel economy and range.
After five years, the booming economy, decent relationship and physical distance to Argentis, and lucrative trading of both resources and of technology has lead the Terranic Union to be the greatest economic and scientific superpower. With an early friend in the Daftpanzerian Space-Cucumbers defending their flank, their worlds became the epitome of peace and prosperity until Aiken Starwhomper threatened the Union on the Fifth year.
The Unionator called for an voluntary draft, and so our cities grew almost overnight massive spaceports, moons began sprouting latticework and spacedocks and artificial spaceports begun to appear around Spica, Gatria and Grassias itself. In addition, Daft Panzer lead his forces in a fury attack against the Starwhomperian forces, fighting to a bloody stalemate. While the massive but inexperienced and thinly spread ships of the Union slowly collect, one wonders if it will truely strike at Starwhomper, or would it betray Daft Panzer's trust by destroying them? I am not at a liberty to inform.
Player Assessments
It is during this time when Pax Argentis began to form. At first, the native Aiken Starwomper faction gained the initiative, using the technique of leapfrogging and extensive treasury to spread like a plague. Although it was only rumors by the time the news arrived upon Grassias, it seemed that Argentis lead a minor alliance to cut Abaddon down to size, and so they did on the Third Year after our arrival.
Then, Argentis begun to sneak their claws into every nation in a manner that can only be called corporate. They leveraged their central position by convincing that they are harmless, but then: Tech trades were funneled from the entire cluster into Argentis coffers. With Argentis at the cutting edge in technology and holding a balanced portfolio of development, their Central Hegemony is assured... for now.
Daft Panzer is a close friend of the Union and stands stalwart on its eastern flank. Peaceful by nature but furious when roused, they have focused on a defensive fleet. This is shown in the early session of the Starwhomperian wars, as their fleets can barely damage the surface defenses of the local Aiken faction but can scathingly blow open enemy dropships and assaultships to cover various attempted retreats or regrouping actions.
Lord Joakim as suffered a much tighter position than the Terranic Union. It was only through the sale of weapons and engine schematics from vendors did they have once again advanced out of their womb. They are on a collision course with the forces of Katz Burger in the Hadar-Capella Sector. They cower in the southern cape but receive new pride as their colonization engines begun to roar once more.
Katz Burger is a decent technological middleman. Although lacking in development due to the Aiken control of the north, they only face Lord Joakim's forces to collect a rich cluster of stars within the Hadar-Capella sector. They cap the cape to the north of Joakim.
Aiken and Boundless are the girdle of the Galaxy. While Aiken pursued an slightly economical trend after building an industrial base (after initial over expansion), Boundless has risked much to blast a year's worth of money solely for technological research. From my files Boundless has made a small fortune selling Weapons System 5: Boundless Beam Ray. It is to the next week to see how they will use this wealth. Aiken borders Daft Panzer and the Union to the northwest, and boundless caps the eastern center of the cluster.
To the north is the Hegemonic Argentis, the Hermite Starflyer and the Suspicious Kraz Republic of Merciary. Argentis held the center of the north-central cluster, and holds nearly 42 stars directly under its control. More on Argentis is above. Most of these were taken by intruding into what any reasonable expansionistic species would call natural borders of Starflyer, who ignored it. Legends tell of a great flyer of the Stars who has brought a beacon to this cluster, signalling it for contest from various sources. Although remnants of various super-high tech that is comparable even to the Aries Corporation, most are skeptical that starflyer of Starwhomperian Superstar Cluster is the Starflyer of lore.
As for Merciary, they have meet on a nearly equal course of industrial and economic development, giving them defenses, but leaving their economy to limp along as they lose their early momentum without invasion. However, we think that Aries infiltration might be due, for all this talk of Subject 17 reminds many of something gone horribly wrong in a distant cluster far far away...
The northern cape is caped by EC1029. Not much is known except that he loves this new cluster so far away from the Civfanatic Galaxy and the Moderator Star Cluster. Most are too polite to mention that most of those who now colonize the Starwhomperian Super Starcluster in the Neptune's Pride Galaxy known as Premium were once native Civfanatics.
Money is power.
I work then.
