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On 26th August 2202, the Commonwealth science vessel CNS Torch was destroyed with all hands by unknown assailants. The attackers were later discovered to be the Gargaxton Sovereignty, a highly militaristic race of reptilians, the last remnants of a once-great empire. In spite of the cries for vengeance echoing around parliament, Chancellor Li consistently refused declaration of war, a stance copied by his successor, Pierre LeGall. More than fifty years later, Chancellor Huang finally declared war, in revenge for that nascent atrocity.
Yu Huang had formerly been appointed Consul of the 1st Crusade Army, before her election to the Chancellership in 2253. As leader of the Military Officer's Association, her power base lay largely in the Navy, an institution yet to prove itself in a true conflict. Declaration of war saw the 1st Fleet under Admiral Angela di Savoia sail against the Sovereignty, while the 2nd Fleet was obliged to remain at anchor at Kar Duniash station. Savoia, ironically, led the Alien Compassion Alliance, a fringe party agitating for better human-xeno relations. Nevertheless, her professionalism was proven at the Battle of Tar Valemm, when she engaged the Sovereignty Kri-Kri Armada, led by the aggressive xeno Admiral Schmoo Schnapp. 16 Commonwealth corvettes and 5 Gyrfalcon-class destroyers engaged a total of 31 Gargaxton corvettes, of which 13 were subsequently destroyed.
A peace treaty was signed in 2261, whereby the Gargaxton territories were partitioned, and a new, pro-Commonwealth government installed as the Gargaxton Citizen State.
In spite of this decisive victory, Chancellor Huang was ousted in the 2264 elections as Hildegard Grasser's party took control of Parliament. Desiring a clean sweep, Chancellor Grasser installed the intellectual Luis Saldana as Lord President of the Council. Grasser's foreign policy took a markedly different path to that of Huang or even Li, breaking off trade agreements with the Yl'Khahan in favour of a much more lucrative pact with Mitron Star Corp. Trade subsequently flourished as Mitron began opening up branch offices on Earth, Alpha Centauri, and Sirius Magna.
Troubling news mars the general prosperity of Grasser's term. On the Spinward border comes news of savage war as the Glirr Directorate battle the genocidal Rak Rak Reavers. The defences at Kar Duniash are strengthened; the fleet is refitted. And in the scientific community, revived news of an old hypothesis circulates - the controversial Psionic Theory.
Commentary
Where did all their ships go?
I think the intel from my spies must have been wrong, because 1st Fleet was more than enough to overrun the Gargaxton heartland. The empire has loomed large in my thought since the beginning of the game. It seems, in light of this war, that they weren't quite as strong as I believed. In any case I don't regret my choice of a limited war to partition the cluster from the rest of the empire. The capital remains part of the Sovereignty, but the rest is now a friendly state and a buffer to keep their fleets out of my hair for a while. In due course I intend to take their homeworld - it's a relic world, and if I'm right, ripe for turning into a lucrative tech-world.
The real concern are the Rak Rak Reavers. They've been trying very hard to overrun the Glirr - counting their ships, they have at least equivalent fleet strength to my own. I have to say, the Glirr's tenacity impressed me. They just kept pounding away at the bloodthirsty maniacs, saving their population from genocide at least twice to my count.
Ironically, some apparently bad luck from several decades ago is coming in useful here. Way back in the second decade of the game, I'd made a mad rush to take the Irriamun system - home to a relic world with an archaeological site. As the map below shows, it's strategically awkward, being exposed to Spinward. The problem was, when the science team unearthed the relics buried beneath the crumbling cities, it awoke an murderous space dragon. Putting Irriamun out of my reach, but also creating an impassable system. Neither the Glirr nor the Rak Rak are any more able to get past that dragon than I am.
Kar Duniash is the lynchpin in the Spinward defences. I've been continually upgrading and strengthening the defences, with an emphasis on launch bays, since the Rak Rak are still obsessed with corvettes. I'm toying with the idea of building a dedicated destroyer squadron to operate out of the port - a formation to stay within one or two hyperlanes, to pre-emptively attack targets of opportunity.
Yu Huang had formerly been appointed Consul of the 1st Crusade Army, before her election to the Chancellership in 2253. As leader of the Military Officer's Association, her power base lay largely in the Navy, an institution yet to prove itself in a true conflict. Declaration of war saw the 1st Fleet under Admiral Angela di Savoia sail against the Sovereignty, while the 2nd Fleet was obliged to remain at anchor at Kar Duniash station. Savoia, ironically, led the Alien Compassion Alliance, a fringe party agitating for better human-xeno relations. Nevertheless, her professionalism was proven at the Battle of Tar Valemm, when she engaged the Sovereignty Kri-Kri Armada, led by the aggressive xeno Admiral Schmoo Schnapp. 16 Commonwealth corvettes and 5 Gyrfalcon-class destroyers engaged a total of 31 Gargaxton corvettes, of which 13 were subsequently destroyed.
A peace treaty was signed in 2261, whereby the Gargaxton territories were partitioned, and a new, pro-Commonwealth government installed as the Gargaxton Citizen State.
In spite of this decisive victory, Chancellor Huang was ousted in the 2264 elections as Hildegard Grasser's party took control of Parliament. Desiring a clean sweep, Chancellor Grasser installed the intellectual Luis Saldana as Lord President of the Council. Grasser's foreign policy took a markedly different path to that of Huang or even Li, breaking off trade agreements with the Yl'Khahan in favour of a much more lucrative pact with Mitron Star Corp. Trade subsequently flourished as Mitron began opening up branch offices on Earth, Alpha Centauri, and Sirius Magna.
Troubling news mars the general prosperity of Grasser's term. On the Spinward border comes news of savage war as the Glirr Directorate battle the genocidal Rak Rak Reavers. The defences at Kar Duniash are strengthened; the fleet is refitted. And in the scientific community, revived news of an old hypothesis circulates - the controversial Psionic Theory.
Commentary
Where did all their ships go?
I think the intel from my spies must have been wrong, because 1st Fleet was more than enough to overrun the Gargaxton heartland. The empire has loomed large in my thought since the beginning of the game. It seems, in light of this war, that they weren't quite as strong as I believed. In any case I don't regret my choice of a limited war to partition the cluster from the rest of the empire. The capital remains part of the Sovereignty, but the rest is now a friendly state and a buffer to keep their fleets out of my hair for a while. In due course I intend to take their homeworld - it's a relic world, and if I'm right, ripe for turning into a lucrative tech-world.
The real concern are the Rak Rak Reavers. They've been trying very hard to overrun the Glirr - counting their ships, they have at least equivalent fleet strength to my own. I have to say, the Glirr's tenacity impressed me. They just kept pounding away at the bloodthirsty maniacs, saving their population from genocide at least twice to my count.
Ironically, some apparently bad luck from several decades ago is coming in useful here. Way back in the second decade of the game, I'd made a mad rush to take the Irriamun system - home to a relic world with an archaeological site. As the map below shows, it's strategically awkward, being exposed to Spinward. The problem was, when the science team unearthed the relics buried beneath the crumbling cities, it awoke an murderous space dragon. Putting Irriamun out of my reach, but also creating an impassable system. Neither the Glirr nor the Rak Rak are any more able to get past that dragon than I am.
Kar Duniash is the lynchpin in the Spinward defences. I've been continually upgrading and strengthening the defences, with an emphasis on launch bays, since the Rak Rak are still obsessed with corvettes. I'm toying with the idea of building a dedicated destroyer squadron to operate out of the port - a formation to stay within one or two hyperlanes, to pre-emptively attack targets of opportunity.