Let's Play Stellaris: Part 42 - The End of the Cartel

"That I should live to see the end of the Cartel..." - Oligarch Septima Egnatius

Stardate: 18-11-2466

To say it was a disaster would have been an understatement, as defensive preparations continued and attempts were made to keep the economy stable as it was pushed harder and harder to keep pace with growing demand, a group of robotic and AI became self-aware. The DAAR Multi-System seized control of key systems including several of the border fortresses plunging the entire Cartel into disarray, the third fleet was caught entirely flat-footed as AI forces seized control of New Vulpinus.

A massive fleet of vastly powerful and superior ships seemingly emerging out of no-where from the edge of the system tore into the third fleet who panicked, breaking as it became clear that they had seized control of the planet as well. Chaos swept across the breadth of the Cartel as armadas of AI controlled ships and reports of robotic uprisings flooded in.

A massive fleet of rogue AI catches the third fleet by surprise in orbit of New Vulpinus.

With the threat of the Scourge pushed out of the Cartel's immediate concerns it became clear their lack of restrictions to AI technology had proven to be a time-bomb waiting to explode. Having made extensive use of AI to increase their research capabilities, their quest for technological supremacy had proven to be their potential downfall.

The New Dyss Khanate having signed a defensive pact with the Cartel along with the Uriy Suns Subsidiary came to their aid but whether it would be enough was another matter entirely. Hagawa, Bir Zun, Targon, Menchib and Janna had fallen in a matter of hours essentially crippling the defensive border the Cartel had always enjoyed.

With the board paralysed with indecision the military took matters into their own hands, as the first and fourth fleets made a counter-attack into the Janna system, the ancient robots found there decades ago being labelled as the most likely cause.

The fourth fleet engages the fortress at Janna as the first fleet arrives to support them.

In 2467, months after the uprising began, Bitrius Starbase and the remains of the third fleet made a stand to protect Fiiral Colonia against two massive DAAR fleets. It proved to be ultimately futile as even the massive defensive installation long thought to be one of the most powerful of it's kind within the Cartel was simply crushed along with the remains of the third fleet marking it the greatest military loss for decades.

The fourth fleet was first to arrive in Janna much to their dismay they had turned the fortress star-base to their control and inflicted heavy casualties before the first fleet arrived to reinforce their positions. Before they could capitalise on the victory fully however yet another huge DAAR fleet arrived engaging both fleets. The fighting was vicious, despite their numerical advantage the Cartel fleets still took significant losses whilst only inflicting moderate casualties in kind before the DAAR fleet withdrew.

Even as they attempted to prepare the Janna Habitat for a ground attack yet another fleet from the DAAR arrived further taxing the embattled fleets. A partial bombardment took place as ground forces landed on Janna with the fleets moving back to defend the homeworld but the machines overwhelmed even the experienced general and routed the Cartel's ground forces spectacularly as the vast machine fleets overran system after system, crushing the few allied fleets who had arrived to help and obliterating every starbase and defence laid before them. Even the homeworld itself fell to their advance.

The first and fourth fleets battle wave after wave of DAAR ships seeking to reclaim the Janna system.

The year 2468 saw the remaining military might of the Cartel make one last ditch effort to break the DAAR offensive, all three fleets, battered and understrength pushed to retake the homeworld. Whilst all combined might of the Cartel navy fought valiantly against the machines, the vast fleet simply washed over them like an emotionless flood until all that remained were broken hulls. The battle barely lasted a week, the vastly superior machine forces and technology giving them a huge advantage.

The first, third and fourth fleets engage in a last-ditch battle to break the siege of Vulpinus.

Battered and broken, the remains of the Cartel Navy waited for the end, opting to make their last stand in the Ishnor system they waited for the arrival of the machines. Unable to replenish their losses, the homeworld and it's shipyards no longer accessible and the economy in ruins there was little else that could be done.

By 2472, the end came, food supplies were gone and the entire fleet being destroyed or routed by the DAAR they quickly overran the remaining systems. For all the Cartels achievements since they had mastered faster than light travel, they had been undone by their own technology. The warning signs had been there but their desire to best their rivals made them believe it to have been worth the risk.

The few remaining Foxes scattered into the Yeon Progenitors and New Dyss Khanate space, hoping to simply survive as the swarm consumed the galaxy. For the Fox Cartel, however, their story was now over.

If you missed the last part, you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 41 - Guardians of the Galaxy

"Join with us, Foxes." - Yeon Progenitor Diplomat

Stardate: 16-03-2455

The situation looked dire, military analysts and scientists alike not seeing any favourable outcome from a military engagement with the invading species dubbed the Prethoryn Scourge. Even a single scourge fleet would require the entire Cartel navy to stand even a slim chance at victory, the Scourge, however, was distant giving the Cartel much needed time to prepare with the sole objective being one of pure survival.

The Prime Wardens bore the brunt of the Prethoryn Scourge's early advances but their defences and fleets proved of little use against the vast fleets of organic ships. In less than a year they had cut a swathe through Prime Warden space and began moving into the Ziiran Mandate with little signs of slowing or being hindered by any military efforts to arrest their advance which continued at an apocalyptic speed.

In 2457 refugee's began arriving in Cartel space from the Prime Wardens, despite their criminal reputation the Cartel's overall accepting and racially neutral politics made them an appealing place for those with no-where else to go. It was also among the most heavily fortified empires next to the mysterious ancient races such as the Yeon and Homolog but the sheer ferocity of the Scourge made even the Cartel feel as if no defence may be adequate to halt their advance.

Capture footage of a Prime Warden Starbase being obliterated by the scourge.

In order to ensure the Cartel's survival in the face of the gravest threat ever before seen a vast construction project was undertaken in the Capella system. A vast Strategic Coordination Center in order to help manage and direct the entire Cartel navy and defensive installations, the hope being to be the rock the wave of the Scourge would break against.

Previously risky expansion ventures were approved as the critical need for raw materials grew beyond the Cartel's capacity to sustain. Planets previously considered too risky an investment were colonised, artificial habitats constructed and vast city districts on worlds still largely empty were built in order to house what was predicted to be an ever increasing wave of refugee's fleeing the destruction of the Prethoryn.

By 2462 the main hull of the Strategic Coordination Centre was completed although even that vast undertaking was still only partially complete as more resources were ever required as every effort was placed behind one singular goal. Survival at any cost.

The base hull of the newly constructed Strategic Comand Centre in the Capella system.

Even more grandiose and proportionately more expensive projects were also considered, from a Dyson Sphere to a vast matter compressor to fuel the struggling Fox Cartel economy which was being turned fully toward a war no-one expected to win. A war in which just simply surviving would be a victory in itself as the Prethoryn Scourge tore the Prime Wardens and Ziiran Mandate to pieces with frightening ease.

As 2463 drew to an end it seemed the Prime Wardens had been all but defeated, a few rag-tag fleets attempting in vain to blunt the vast swarms of Scourge ships were all that remained of their military efforts with the Ziiran not faring any better. However, as overall hope began to dwindle within the Cartel as they desperately tried to bolster their fleet and defences something no-one expected happened something which rekindled the fading hope of the galaxy at large.

The Prethoryn Scourges fleets prove to be a large unstoppable mass of destruction.

The Yeon Progenitors had scarcely taken an interest in the galaxy at large since the Cartel encountered them, keeping to themselves behind sealed and heavily defended borders they seemed to care little for the wars and politics of the younger races. However, with the arrival of the Prethoryn Scourge that changed, it was unnoticed at first border tracking stations and sub-space sensors only noting it as unusual when scouting vessels moved out of their territory. Apparently finding the Scourge to be a threat to even themselves they called upon all races of the galaxy to stand with them against the invaders in a Galactic Defence League.

Whilst the Cartel's board and military debated whether or not they should join in a rare unanimous vote it was decided that should an offer be extended it would be accepted. The Cartel, however, remained more focused on improving its own chances for survival.

However, another disaster struck taking the Cartel completely by surprise.

If you missed the last part you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 40 - The Threat Emerges

"They are the greatest threat this galaxy has ever likely faced." - First Fleet Admiral Numeria Manilius

Stardate: 30-07-2446

They had once been no more than a street gang trying to survive, huddled in a single derelict building hiding from corrupt enforcers and other gangs. Now, they were the rulers of a vast interstellar empire spanning dozens of star-systems, many however felt their true test was yet to arrive, as the Cartel continued clandestine attempts to prepare for the threat they had yet to find much less face.

Economic growth and scientific breakthroughs marked the period very much as a golden age which seemed to show no signs of slowing or stopping. That, however, was until the Husko Raiders a band of marauders not unlike the New Dyss Khanate had been decided in 2448 to demand tribute from the Cartel. Whilst long ago the Cartel often paid the Dyss simply due to the economic cost of fighting a greater adversary was deemed too great compared to a paltry offering of minerals or food. The Husko, however, were afforded nothing but a tersely worded warning that any attempt to raid Cartel space would be repulsed with lethal force.

The board informed military command and border defences were put on alert as the first and third fleets were deployed toward Hagawa and Bitrius, deemed the likely entry points into Cartel Space should they attempt an incursion. The unblooded fourth fleet was held in reserve on the off-chance they Husko entered Cartel territory from another unexpected direction. Their underworld connections proved useful in identifying the raider's target as the Menchib system, a former Uriy Suns colony now under direct rulership of the Cartel. The first fleet was quickly redirected to intercept them as they moved through Alvothari Hegemony space, something which had been deemed unlikely, to begin with.

2451 saw the refinery world of Glump subjected to an orbital bombardment before the first fleet could arrive in time to stop the Husko Raiders, however, it was a mistake on their part. The first fleet crashed into them before they could reposition and promptly rendered them into nought but a cloud of scrap metal. Not a single survivor was left to return to the Husko with any of their ill-gotten gains, no longer would anyone take from the Cartel without paying for it in credits or blood.

The first fleet makes quick work of the Husko raiders leaving no survivors.

The Husko, however, were rated more as a minor inconvenience as later in that very year subspace tracking stations detected something far more alarming. Deep in intergalactic space sensor echoes were detected approaching the galaxy, was this the threat the Homolog had warned about or something else entirely? The knowledge was kept out of public knowledge, it is deemed too risky to share at the risk of causing a panic. Defensive preparations were stepped up in earnest and plans for the first titan class ship to be constructed were accelerated.

The Cartel's economy was pushed to breaking point as they attempted to rush ahead with as many projects as possible, plunging their formally vast mineral wealth into nothing as mining districts on new worlds remained empty as population growth hadn't kept up with the expansion. Also during 2452, a research AI on Vulpinus had seemingly destroyed itself and an investigation into the cause was launched given the importance the Cartel placed on research and technology. Seemingly caused by its assessment of the success of any wars with Cartel rivals resulting in mutually assured destruction no matter how many times it simulated it the AI terminated itself causing more checks and balances to be put in place to avoid the loss of expensive AI in future.

In 2453, the subspace echoes detected heading toward the galaxy were clearer, smaller advance elements moving toward Prime Wardens space in the galactic south. Whilst the Cartel engaged in meetings almost daily about various contingencies and attack plans, some still held out hope it might be friendly visitors. Messages warning the Prime Wardens fell on deaf ears however so all the Cartel could do was wait and prepare for the worst.

Communication between the galaxy and the new visitors proves impossible. 

As the year progressed the source of the sub-space echoes finally entered the galaxy, an initial attempt at communication saw translation software and linguistics teams utterly fail to establish any kind of dialogue with the visitors. Weeks passed as the best minds among the Cartel attempted to breach the communication barrier but it was aborted when reports of systems along the galactic rim being attacked by these invaders began to flood in. The sub-space echoes and their numbers pointed toward an invasion of the galaxy itself.

Dubbed by most of the galaxy as the Prethoryn Scourge due to several repeated phrases coughed up by translation software across the galaxy and their clearly hostile intent it was clear to the entire galaxy. This was the single largest threat ever faced by all but the fallen empires such as the Yeon and Homolog.

In a matter of months, they had obliterated installations in three Prime Warden systems and occupied two of them whilst a pre-emptive strike would have been wise the fact their foothold was on the other side of the galaxy made it difficult for the Cartel to even reach the affected systems due to the myriad of empires who had closed their borders to the Cartel.

After some skilful negotiating with the Prime Wardens, a deal was reached to share real-time sensor information, allowing the Cartel to assess the extent of the threat. What they discovered however was more terrifying than even their darkest nightmares could have prepared them for.

Dubbed the Prethoryn Scourge, their vast fleets of organic ships pose the single greatest threat ever faced to the galaxy much less the Cartel.

Vast fleets of organic ships that even on their own dwarfed the entire Cartel navy were roving across the galaxy. A state of emergency was immediately declared further straining the still struggling economy as the Cartel attempted to prepare to weather a storm so vast that even the most optimistic projections ended in the near total extinction of all life in the galaxy.

If you missed the last part, you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 39 - We Have the Technology

"Anything is possible with sufficient technological advancement." - Oligarch Septima Egnatius

Stardate: 14-03-2428

The Fox Cartel in early 2428 was almost entirely focused upon consolidating its power, whilst there were many reasons for them to do so there were two reasons more prevalent than most. The first of which was a lack of any easy targets, a complex web of alliances, defensive pacts, independence guarantees and growing federations ensured that attacking any single rival would draw others into the fight. Whilst the Cartel's military was indeed powerful it still needed decades to reach its full strength due to a vast plan of expansion and refits.

The second reason only a select handful of the Fox Cartel's leadership knew about in any meaningful detail. Historically speaking the Homolog Continuum had always been a baffling neighbour, a vast robotic intelligence whose actions had long been a topic of discussion throughout the Cartel's history. However, their constant allusions to some vast threat and evidence that another ancient race had been wiped out long ago made the Cartel take that possibility far more seriously. Not wanting to be caught flat-footed in the midst of war should some new threat emerge a defensive strategy was adopted.

For years the Cartel showed an unerring focus upon two singular objectives, the expansion of their military and a massive push for more and more advanced technology. Colonia Dwarvian became the largest known research hub in the galaxy, research complexes that matched cities in size ensured the Cartel's already impressive technology accelerated far ahead of their rivals. Some among the board of directors even speculated that they may even match the Yeon Progenitors or Homolog Continuum in decades rather than centuries.

Colonia Dwarvian, the largest centre for research in Cartel space if not the entire galaxy.

The year 2432 saw the Cartel turning its vast economy and scientific expertise toward further expanding their military in a vastly ambitious plan. The recently settled world of Fiiral Colonia and a planet marked for Terraforming in the Hagawa system would become massive training centres for ships crews, armies and all manner of military support personnel. The plan was to ensure that whatever threat emerged be it a rival empire or some ancient terror the Cartel would be ready to deal with it.

With many races beyond the Foxes having full citizenship among the Cartel other planets would also be settled for them within Cartel space. Despite their criminal origins, the Cartel was widely accepting holding to the philosophy of ensuring it was what you knew not who or what you were that mattered. Also, space was becoming a premium as populations continued to grow at a spectacular rate.

A massive achievement in Cartel ship construction techniques and technology arrived in 2433, seeing the titan class hull be approved for construction. Essentially a massive mobile weapons platform to be used as the flagship of each fleet, armed with quad kinetic batteries and a large pair of neutron torpedo launchers alone it dwarfed the firepower of even the Constantine class battleship before the main armament was considered. A vast spinal beam cannon referred to as the Perdition Beam with its main purpose to be the removal of starbases or enemy battleships quickly made it a fearsome vessel. One of which was immediately planned as the first fleet flagship.

A new class of ship is designed, the Oligarch-class Titan.

In the early days of 2441, the first artificial planetary habitat was constructed in Cartel space in orbit of a gas giant within the Janna system. This vast station was essentially a vast arcology and entirely self-sufficient, Janna had been selected to provide the nearby fortress with a means to bring the crews families closer to raise morale as well as ensure that their very first habitat station was well protected. Whilst many such projects were planned the sheer volume of resources required to construct even one strained the Cartel's economy, meaning fleet expansion plans were delayed causing at least two board members to be removed due to poor planning jeopardising a primary objective.

The first artificial habitat ever constructed by the Cartel, in orbit of a gas giant in the Janna system.

The galaxy at large seemed fairly stable and quiet with most empires focusing on internal issues, very little of note seemed to take place bar the passing of third fleet admiral Vibius Cluilius who had been venerated as a hero of the Cartel. Due to his efforts in the war with the Uriy Suns, a memorial was once again built along the road approaching the corporate headquarters, a road which many saw as a place to celebrate the heroes of the Cartel.

2443 saw the planet in the Hagawa system terraformed successfully and colonisation efforts began on Menturius Prime, the second of two planned fortress worlds whose primary purpose was to ensure the core of Cartel space remained safe. By not only training and equipping the military itself but by being such unassailable bastions in their own right that any invasion would simply break before being able to progress deeper into the core systems.

Mid-way through 2446 the Homolog Continuum proved to be a massive boon toward the scientific focus they had adopted. Seemingly as some kind of reward for agreeing to settle the planet in the Bitrius system they granted the Cartel a vast cache of precursor knowledge. This proved to mark a veritable golden age of research, something many in the Cartel took as a sign they were correct in their pursuit of science to give themselves the advantage. Would it be enough to help them best their rivals or even the great threat the Homolog continued to allude to? Only time would tell for certain.

If you missed the last part, you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 38 - Passing of a Legend

"A legend may have passed but now we forge new legends." - Admiral Numeria Manilius

Stardate: 04-07-2417

The Cartel's victory over the Unified Uriy Suns had proven to be a massive boon to their economy, cutting the projected time it would take to recover from the war drastically. The military pushed for the expansion to continue, to strike whilst the iron was hot but the board of directors over-ruled the admirals and generals. In part, it had been due to planned retrofits and potentially further expanding the military to include a fourth fleet mostly it was due to a myriad of factors prompting a more cautious approach.

Of those factors, the most obvious was the fact that all their rivals now were engaged in a web of alliances and defensive pacts meaning engaging one empire might see the Cartel fighting on multiple fronts. This was seen as a disaster waiting to happen, as even the war against the Uriy Suns who had been seen as a weaker military power, still managed to ensure it a very costly campaign for the Cartel to prosecute.

The lesser known factor had been the whispers and rumours circulating the galaxy of potentially unknown threats, most were naturally dismissed as typical trader ghost stories. The Homolog Continuum's constant referral to a threat they seemed always reluctant to name had the board voting unanimously on a 'wait and see' approach to the situation.

The ruins of a massive precursor art installation that dwarves even the Cartels' vast starbases. Whilst plans are in place to repair it the cost is immeasurable.

As 2420 dawned the Cartel's economy was growing in leaps and bounds as the reserves previously depleted during the subjugation of the Uriy Suns were replenished and excess resources sold to the highest bidders. Alloys were purchased and immediately put to use reinforcing all four of the Cartel's fleets. Construction ships and mining stations soon filled the former pre-cursor system claiming it's vast resources further fuelling the Cartel's ever-expanding industries. Research also became a leading pursuit during this period as every world among the Cartel's slowly expanding empire was soon home to vast research complexes staffed by the finest minds and funded almost in excess.

The hope was to turn the gap in technology between the Cartel and its rivals into a vast gulf ensuring any wars they started or were the target of would be vastly in their favour. It was predicted to take almost ten years to build the military up and a further five to potentially refit them with the technology and weapons that soon made up a vast and terrifying arsenal.

In 2422, the Skanuri Bloc a rival as long-standing as the Uriy Suns had been, began a worrying trend of expansion along the Cartel border. It appeared that not only the New Dyss Khanate had made use of natural wormholes to expand. Whilst a far larger empire in terms of the territory it laid claim to their constant wars had left them in a weakened state as military intelligence and underworld connections confirmed to the board they were overall much weaker than the Cartel in every sense of the word. Requests from the Oligarch personally for them to cease their expansion along the border were outright ignored making the Cartel's next target all too clear.

A natural wormhole along the border of Cartel space that allowed the rival Skanuri Bloc to expand, bypassing the hyper-lane network.

Later in that very year news reached the Cartel that the Prossnakan's a once mighty race who sought to destroy all others in the name of their gods had been utterly destroyed. All that remained of their people were now scattered refugee's sheltering on Cartel worlds and a tiny puppet state in the middle of the Galactic Ymacera Assembly. Whilst a worrying trend, their sharing of a border with the Skanuri Bloc had analysts among the Cartel predicting they would turn on each other as they both believed they were the rightful rulers of the galaxy. A pre-emptive strike was briefly considered but with most of the fleet still under construction and retrofits pending a defensive posture was adopted. The fortress starbases of Hagawa and Bitrius guarded the only known hyper-lanes deeper into Cartel space and were still among the largest defensive structures in Cartel space, each commanding as much firepower as an entire fleet in their own right.

After 113 years of service, almost 60 of them at the head of the first fleet, Admiral Sexta Lamponius was laid to rest as a hero of the Cartel. Having fought in every major engagement of the last half-century against pirates, rampant drones, crystalline monsters and even the Uriy Suns the strategy and tactics of the venerable admiral became required reading at every military academy. A statue of whom was erected alongside the late Oligarch on the path leading to the corporate headquarters which soon became dubbed the path of heroes. Admiral Numeria Manilius took up the mantle of commanding the first fleet much to the discontent of far older admirals hoping to take the honoured position.

The closing days of 2427 saw the Cartel receiving yet another baffling request from the enigmatic Homolog Continuum to colonise a planet within the heavily fortified Bitrius system. The request was accepted with no small amount of confusion though before the Oligarch could even ask why the comm-link had been cut. Baffled even as a colony ship was constructed and settlers enlisted the commander of the Targon station black site was told to more highly prioritise finding the threat that had the Homolog so concerned.

Bitrius III, a continental world in the fortress system of Bitrius and also the target of a colonisation request from the Homolog Continuum.

With the entire military being in a state of flux as ships were constructed, crews trained and assigned to fleets the navy looked set to double in size over the next decade. Whatever force sought to challenge the Cartel next, they were ready to face it with no small amount of confidence. Whilst the future may always be an uncertainty preliminary plans were made for the next campaign, the Skanuri Bloc had a long history of hurling insults at the Cartel since they had first encountered one another. Soon, they would be made to pay for it, whether they realised it or not.

If you missed the last part you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 37 - Rebuilding

"Whatever has the Homolog worried. Find it before it finds us." - Oligarch Septima Egnatius addressing <<redacted>> 

Stardate: 11-10-2407

With the war concluded and the Unified Uriy Suns being forced to accept becoming a corporate subsidiary of the Cartel they once again turned their attention inward. Whilst it was without a doubt an overwhelming victory it was the most costly military campaign to date. Dozens of corvette and destroyer class vessels had been lost in the years of fighting and nearly five entire divisions of ground forces had been lost taking the Uriy Suns capital. It was decided by the board to adopt a defensive mindset whilst losses were replenished and new technologies integrated into the fleet.

However, the Uriy Suns had been an easy target, to begin with, given their isolationist tendencies whomever their next target would be would not be quite so easy to deal with. The possibilities were debated at length but Oligarch Septima Egnatius was far more cautious with the New Dyss Khanate an enormous potential threat and the Galactic Ymacera Assembly ever eager to hurl insults there were clearly no easy choices.

Whilst the debate was furious on both sides it was eventually decided to hold off on any further aggressive expansion pending a complete refit of the navy as well as the expansion of all three current fleets with plans for a fourth being drawn up. Also with the new additions to Cartel territory a defensive plan was also put into place to shore up what the board dubbed the outer-systems. The core of Cartel space remained the highest priority for any form of defence spending.

The war and the preparations for it had been costly, depleting the Cartel's vast reserves in order to fund their growing military but the subsidisation of the Uriy Suns proved to be a massive boost allowing the Cartel to quickly recover and begin the monumental task of rebuilding the fleets.

The galaxy at large, sees power consolidating with larger empires and smaller ones being consumed.

The economies quick recovery ensured that the efforts of the Cartel could be directed elsewhere after only a year, with Oligarch Septima Egnatius opting to fund a massive increase in the scientific output of the Cartel. This was fuelled by the increasing realisation that they were for all intents and purposes standing alone with their association status among the Golden Alliance being no more than a glorified non-aggression pact by the board and military command alike.

With that in mind and knowing they could never match the numbers of the rapidly growing empire of the Dyss nor ever be accepted into any kind of true federation, they opted to widen the technological gap further. Colonia Dwarvian originally slated to become a vast urban world soon became instead a world dedicated to research, with laboratory complexes rivalling the size of some city-states.

The initiative soon gained an official title within the Cartel merely dubbed 'Plan: Think Tank' it was put into action midway through 2409, with every world being required to construct and staff at least one research complex or at the very least provide materials needed to support those of other worlds.

The victorious first fleet awaiting much-needed repairs and fresh ships following the Uriy Sun's campaign.

Technologies once thought the realm of fantasy soon became more feasible, projects previously thought to take decades to research were now possible within years. The pace at which new technology was researched during this period was immense and quickly looked to outpace all but the vast machine intelligence of the Prime Wardens. The public face painted it as a technological golden age, proving the Cartel's superiority intellectually as well as militarily for all to see. However, behind closed doors plans were in motion to hone the already vast fleet to the razor's edge of technology with the New Dyss Khanate being the most likely next target.

In 2412, research into the precursor race known as the Yuht finally made significant progress after centuries of it being no more than a scientific curiosity. Relics and ruins were scoured and all the information they had collated and catalogued finally moving it from mere history to potentially profitable, scientists had located the system of the Yuht's homeworld.

A previously undiscovered hyper-lane link in the Jor Mon Dir system near the heart of Cartel space was located and a science ship immediately deployed to investigate. The Yuuhtan system proved to be well worth the effort of discovering if not for learning the fate of the Yuuht then the vast quantities of resources the system held.

The fate of the Yuuht was something of a cautionary tale, beginning as explorers hunting for other intelligent life for a long time in vain they eventually stumbled across a younger race whose very nature terrified them. Opting to destroy them rather than co-exist the Yuuht attempted to wipe them out only to be beaten back by technologies the Yuuht had not even considered and were eventually obliterated entirely by the younger race. The only remnant of this vast empire was the remains of ships in orbit and the bombed-out remnants of the Yuuht's arcologies.

A science ship examines the broken remnants of the Yuht homeworld. 

The Public Relations department spun it as a tale to never under-estimate an opponent, something which resonated after the war with the Uriy Suns but the board of directors and military command were more concerned. What had happened to this younger race who had annihilated an entire species and if they still existed at all.

As 2417 began the most enigmatic of the Cartel's neighbours, the Homolog Continuum once again proved to be a boon as they granted the Cartel three of their escort class vessels, these destroyer sized vessels rivalled even the Aurora class cruisers of the Cartel in firepower and endurance. Whilst certainly grateful of the added firepower Oligarch Septima Egnatius along with the board began to worry. Whilst their goals for the last two hundred years had always been convoluted a clear pattern was beginning to emerge they were being prepared to fight or at least survive some unnamed threat.

All attempts to gain further information as to the nature of this threat were all ignored by the Homolog Continuum leaving the Cartel wondering if they were just faulty robots or this threat was truly real. Likely the most secretive plan to date and given no more than the vague title of 'Directive 1' the Black Ops Site aboard Targon station was given the singular goal of finding this unnamed threat so as to better prepare a course of action. The galaxy wide criminal network was also put into action for the same purpose although no-one outside the board of directors knew the purpose of Directive 1.

Whatever it was, they wanted to know about it sooner rather than later.

The Homolog Continuum's latest gift of three Escort class destroyers, carrying almost as much firepower as the Cartel's Constantine class battleships.

If you missed the last part you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 36 - Old Rivals

"We make our own destiny." - Engraved on the statue of Oligarch Proculus Manilius

Stardate: 07-03-2396

As the 24th century neared it's twilight the Cartel was preparing to go on the offensive, with the first fleet poised to strike deep into Unified Uriy Suns territory and the newly reinforced third fleet prepared to blunt any counter strikes. It was hoped a show of force along the border would convince the Uriy Suns of capitulating to the demands of the ultimatum they had prepared to give long in advance.

With the first and third fleets fully assembled, ground troops poised for the invasion the ultimatum was finally delivered to the Unified Uriy Suns empire as 2399 dawned. Despite military intelligence and underworld spy rings confirming the Uriy Suns was likely to lose a conflict they stubbornly rejected the offer of becoming a subsidiary. Only days into the new year the Fox Cartel declared war on their long-standing rivals with the goal of forcing them into a subsidiary arrangement within their corporate hierarchy.

The first fleet clashes with a Uriy Suns fleet in the opening days of the war.

In a matter of weeks, the Cartel's first fleet had torn apart the Uriy Sun's border starbases and battered aside one of their fleets with frightening ease. As ground troops and transport ships were pulled from the rear to begin their first landing, the third fleet moved to repel the first counter-attacks into Cartel space.

The fighting grew intense, encompassing almost five entire star-systems as the first fleet pushed deeper into Uriy Suns space whilst the third fleet fought tirelessly to repulse the near constant counter-attacks. The Uriy Suns threw their fleets valiantly against the first and third fleets but it quickly became apparent the Cartel's technological superiority was too much for their ships to overcome. The third fleet at several points in their defence of the Foldora and Orym systems was engaged by three enemy fleets at once pushing them to their limit before the first fleet arrived to assist.

The third fleet is pushed to their limit as Uriy Sun's fleets attempt to push through into Cartel space.

Losses began to mount as the war entered its second year as Uriy Sun's fleets seemed determined to continue the fight even as every engagement proved a crushing defeat to their dwindling navy. The fighting continued relentlessly even into the third year of the war however it seemed the Uriy Suns defeat was inevitable. Every engagement was a crushing defeat as their fleets attempted to gain inroads into the Cartel only to be crushed by the third fleet all the while the first fleet carved a swathe of destruction toward their homeworld. A selective orbital bombardment was nought but a prelude to Cartel ground forces landing in order to wrest control of their capital away by force.

Even after weeks of orbital bombardment, the defending Uriy Sun's garrisons fought on with an almost alarming zeal, as Cartel ground forces took significant losses as the fighting moved viciously from street to street but as with every battle so far in the war they eventually lost. Their homeworld was occupied and yet they still refused to surrender to the Cartel and their demands causing the first fleet to press ever onward, rampaging almost unopposed through Uriy Suns space.

The first fleet bombards the Uriy Suns homeworld to prepare it for a ground invasion.

The continuing success of the ongoing war, almost four and a half years in was marred by a tragedy on the home-front as Oligarch Proculus Manilius succumbed to old age at 110 years old. His passing was mourned and a statue erected on the road leading toward the central corporate headquarters to celebrate a Fox who had pulled the Cartel from the brink of obscurity and moulded it into an economic and military power to be reckoned with. As Oligarch Septima Egnatius took office he vowed to continue where Proculus Manilius had left off.

Any spark of home the Uriy Suns may have had that the loss of their oligarch would demoralise the Cartel was quickly quashed as the first and third fleets began pushing even more aggressively. Despite the third fleet having lost all of it's escort and picket vessels the remaining cruisers and battleships fought on throwing the increasingly rag-tag Uriy Suns fleets back again and again. The first fleet was showing signs of wear and tear from the long campaign but system after system fell to their overwhelming firepower regardless. The Uriy Suns defeat seemed to be now almost a foregone conclusion.

The first fleet engages the remnants of the Uriy Sun's fleet around an ancient derelict orbiting a blackhole.

As the first and third fleets pursued the battered remains of the Uriy Sun's fleets handfuls of vessels attempted to retake their home-system but it was too little too late. In the early months of 2407, a campaign over six years long came to an end as the Unified Uriy Suns capitulated becoming a subsidiary of the Fox Cartel. Their longest standing rival was now firmly under their control was greeted by celebrations across all of the Cartel's core worlds.

It had been a long and bloody campaign, far more so than the board of directors had hoped however they were victorious and even as celebrations continued Cartel leadership was already planning it's next move. The first and third fleets would be repaired, strengthened and lessons learned from the war with the Uriy Suns taken to heart

If you missed the last part find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 35 - Resurgent

"Those savages would be fools to attack us here." - Commander of Hagawa Defence Station.

Stardate: 01-12-2387

With the dawning of 2388, the galaxy was still tearing itself apart around the Cartel as they sat poised to defend their territory from the rapidly expanding Dyss Horde. Long range reconnaissance reports did eventually shed some light on the way in which they had opened up the second front against the Golden Alliance with whom the Cartel was still nominally associated with. A pair of wormholes the Cartel had long ago deemed too high a risk to use were how they had done it, a fact that the Cartel kept very much in their mind for possible future exploitation.

However, they were more concerned with weathering the storm raging around them as border fortresses along with the first and third fleets remained on high alert. It seemed fate was on the Cartel's side as in the final half of 2388 the Great Khan was defeated in open battle, choosing to remain aboard his flagship as it was destroyed rather than escape. The ensuing power vacuum had the formerly united horde turning on one another essentially ending the immediate threat that faced the Cartel.

Whilst plans were debated and considered as to whether to take the fight to the fractured horde the first and third fleets were retasked. The third fleet was moved to Targon station making New Vulpinus it's home as the first fleet was assigned a second of the newly designed Vulpinus class carriers, its goal to wipe out the crystalline menace in the Karazit system. Even as the need to fortify became less urgent and the Cartel more able to focus on achieving its own goals the fracture of the Dyss Horde was largely prevented as a new great khan took control of the now vast empire. The initial concern didn't entirely fade even as their new leader seemed more interested in consolidation than conquest, renaming themselves into the New Dyss Khanate.

The early months of 2389 saw the ever enigmatic Homolog Continuum sending blueprints, schematics and technical specifications of a planetary shielding technology. Whilst it was generally well received the Cartel had long harboured their misgivings about the true motives of this ancient race.

The first fleet returns to Karazit, intent on redeeming themselves after the 'Pulsar Incident'.

As 2391 began, the Fox Cartel first fleet returned to the Karazit system where years prior they had been defeated by a massed fleet of crystalline beings. New ships, weapons and technology alongside an entirely new approach to fleet warfare and doctrine was hoped to win where they had previously failed. The battle around the pulsar lasted for over a month but whereas before the Cartel's ships had been worn down by the sheer weight of numbers, they pressed ever forward as a cohesive whole leaving nought but shards of their crystalline foes in their wake. For only three ships the first fleet obliterated everything including the strange structure at the heart of the system.

With the most immediate threats dealt with the first fleet returned to Capella for repairs as science ships examined every square inch of space within the Karazit system finding it to be a veritable treasure trove of information. Most concerning, however, was a spatial rift near the pulsar the best Cartel minds were tasked with observing and studying it as the board of directors and military command began discussing their next possible moves.

The New Dyss Khanate was quite possibly the largest bordering threat but entering into war with them was deemed to be too costly an endeavour, the fortress systems of Hagawa and Bitrius deemed enough of a deterrent to prevent them from taking Cartel space with any kind of ease. As was historically the case they turned their attention to their longest standing rivals, the Unified Uriy Suns.

The New Dyss Khanate, half of it at least. A greater threat or a potential ally?

However rather than simply attempting yet another military conquest in the strictest sense, they would be offered an ultimatum. Become a subsidiary of the Cartel's corporate structure or face their military might. An idea which was all but unanimously approved when in the early months of 2392 the New Dyss Khanate and Fox Cartel entered into a defensive pact which all but assured their safety for the immediate future.

As the first and third fleets were again deployed along the Uriy Suns border to lend more weight to their ultimatum the rift in the Karazit system proved to be a boon. Mineral-laden rocks seemed to drift through it providing the already extensive Cartel economy with a further boost albeit only temporarily as after only a week it dissipated entirely.

A carefully worded ultimatum was crafted over the weeks it took the first and third fleets to reach their respective staging areas. The first fleet was planned to attack deep into Uriy Suns space with their primary objective to occupy all starbases and destroy any fleets and ships they came across. The third fleet was deployed defensively in the Peya system to ward off any retaliatory strikes from the systems not possessing a defensive starbase.

Just as the ultimatum was about to be sent science ships exploring the Karazit system repaired a civilian comm buoy intercepting a transmission from a civilian transport whose passengers and crew had been taken prisoner by a so-called group of 'Ransomeers'. Deemed an acceptable risk the third fleet was hastily redeployed to rescue the civilians. Delaying the plans for the possible war for almost a full year.

The third fleet attempts to rescue civilians captured by pirates.

The year 2395 marked a tragedy, as the third fleet attempted to rescue the captured civilians the station was destroyed before they could make their escape to the life-pods as had been the plan. With nought they could do to help them they obliterated the rag-tag band of pirates entirely before returning toward their original staging area. A period of mourning was declared and plans put on hold to fully assess what had transpired and how the civilian transport had been captured in the first place.

Troops were trained and deployed as enlistment spiked following the tragedy making initial projections of the possible conflict to come far more optimistic. The plan was further delayed when it was decided upon to expand the third fleet ahead of any potential conflict in order to potentially have the sheer military might of the Cartel convince the Uriy Suns of simply agreeing to the Cartel's demands. Something they would find the answer to soon enough as the threat of the Dyss faded the Cartel became a resurgent power intent on taking by force what it could not with negotiation.

If you missed the last part you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 34 - A Time of Chaos

"We mistook them for pirates, vagrants, no more than thugs. We underestimated them and we may yet pay the price for our arrogance." - Unknown 1st Fleet Captain.

Stardate: 15-10-2371

As the year 2371 drew toward its end the Cartel had heavily fortified its border systems and was prepared to defend its space with all the military might it could muster. Having wiped out a neighbouring empire in a matter of months leaving the Mith-Fell Shipping Alliance as no more than a handful of refugee's sheltered on New Vulpinus it was thought the Cartel would be their next target.

The rate at which the Dyss Horde was expanding had many among the Cartel's upper echelons concerned that they would soon have seized all the unclaimed space nearby having a few among the board of directors push for a pre-emptive strike. This was quickly dismissed by the Admiralty as being too great a risk without first having assessed the Dyss Hordes military capabilities with the Oligarch concurring that a defensive posture was most prudent. So they waited with nothing else they could risk doing for fear of making themselves more vulnerable.

In the early months of 2373, the first fleet was hastily redeployed to the Hagawa system, two of the great Khan's fleets detected approaching the vulnerable system as the assumption they would take the shortest route to Cartel space was proven to be untrue. Their mistake had been made and exploited as the small outpost was little match for the vast armada that approached. The first fleet was trapped and given the size of the Khan's fleet an interception engagement without starbase and defence platform fire support was deemed suicidal giving the Dyss the initiative.

A Dyss Horde armada enters Cartel space headed by a massive flagship.

Much to Admiral Lamponius' surprise after taking out the outpost in Hagawa the fleet turned around and left along the course they had arrived. Whilst baffling the Cartel chose to use the extra time wisely, reinforcing the systems neighbouring Hagawa before risking reclaiming and fortifying it as another bastion system, the expense deemed more than justified by the board of directors.

Despite the obvious threat posed to the rest of the galaxy by the Dyss Horde the Skanuri Bloc was seemingly determined to wipe out the Prossnakan Star Hunters for good as refugees trickled onto New Vulpinus at an alarming rate. It seemed the Skanuri Bloc did not take the Dyss Horde as a serious threat as the Cartel did.

At the dawn of 2376, the third fleet was founded in order to promote better strategic flexibility and combat the growing threat of the Dyss Horde with its home base being in Targon to guard New Vulpinus. Despite the risks and due to listening posts in Bir Zun not seeing any sign of the Dyss for months since the initial raid into Hagawa the system was reclaimed and construction on another heavily fortified starbase was begun.

It was late into 2377 when after months of bad news such as the utter destruction of the Prossnakan Star Hunters that it seemed the Cartel would have some breathing room. Whilst the great Khan was a much-vaunted strategist a rival clan, the Husko Raiders somehow managed to defeat the Khan in battle, however, the Khan escaped his return was of course fully expected. It did, however, give the Cartel time enough to shore up its defences and perform necessary retrofits to its fleets.

Bitrius Starbase commanded almost as much firepower as the 1st and 3rd fleets combined.

Only days after the first fleet had been retrofit did the new reach the Cartel that the great Khan had assembled a new armada. In an attempt to buy time for construction crews in the Hagawa system the first fleet was deployed to defend them, Bitrius now being deemed able to stand on its own long enough for the fleet to arrive should the need arise. Both the first and third fleets took up defensive positions in Hagawa as they prepared to repel any incursions.

Intelligence reached the Cartel however that the Dyss Horde were engaged on a second front elsewhere with the Golden Alliance federation. Having seemingly used their nomadic nature to their advantage they had slipped through other empires space long ago and were now tearing their way through the Alvothari Hegemony and a rival corporation Fiiral TransStellar. The Dyss Horde seemed more cautious in their advance as the first fleet attempted several times to engage smaller fleets moving along the border unsuccessfully.

Even as the rest of the galaxy seemed more concerned with tearing one another to pieces the Prime Wardens reached out to the Cartel offering a research exchange which was gratefully accepted by the Cartel. The reasoning was fairly simple to understand as the Prime Wardens were understood to be a form of machine intelligence meaning they adopted an outlook of cold logic to every interaction.

With the Cartel poised to repel any incursions from the Dyss, research had continued at a break-neck speed as plans were drawn up for the first Cartel battleships. The Constantine class was the first of them, built around the doctrine of superior firepower, it bristled with plasma cannons, railguns and proton launchers. The second design was the largest carrier class vessel ever conceived by the Cartel's shipwrights, it housed cavernous hangars and multiple wings of strike craft whilst also heavily armed with flak batteries and the Cartel's signature plasma cannons it was aptly named after their homeworld, Vulpinus.

A Constantine class battleship and Vulpinus class carrier leave Capella shipyards to join the 1st fleet.

It was at this point the Cartel decided to weigh its options, would they simply hold their ground? Hoping that their massive defensive installations and fleets could weather the storm or would they challenge the Dyss Hordes unchecked expansion? One thing was certain however the galaxy would never be the same again.

If you missed the last part you can find it here!

Let's Play Stellaris: Part 33 - A New Threat Emerges

"It is here we make our stand." - 1st Fleet Admiral Sexta Lamponius

Stardate: 10-01-2356

With the defeat in the Karazit system still fresh in their minds, the Cartel decided it was best to entirely rework their overall approach toward fleet warfare, for months the sensor logs were picked apart by military analysts and shipwrights. Given the Cartel now knew they were likely to be vastly outnumbered in any future engagement it was decided upon that the Cunning class corvette would be removed from frontline fleet operations and instead have it assigned to patrol and anti-piracy roles. It's very design was aggressive and risky meaning that in any engagement any losses were usually among the Cunning class, ship designers and scientists were then tasked with providing alternatives as technology became available to provide a cost-effective solution. 

For several years the Cartel's economy grew and showed no signs of stopping, the diplomatic component of plan 'Olive Branch' was deemed a failure by comparison. Their extensive use of the galactic underworld to help accomplish its goals was not something the galactic community at large was willing to forgive or forget so easily meaning that after all, it was them against the galaxy. With this realisation guiding them it had been decided among the board of directors to expand outward one final time. The systems of Hagawa, Rixim and Bitrius would be claimed for their resources, the Targon system cleared by the first fleet before their fateful engagement would be colonised, the pristine Gaia world had many competing offers for how best to exploit the resources picked up by the initial survey.

The Gaia world discovered in the Targon system becomes a rallying symbol for the Cartel.

The infamous Karazit system would also be claimed and any remotely viable worlds marked for terraforming as the Cartel began utilising it's vast and growing economic might to push further into the galaxy. Branch officers and front companies were also once again re-opened before rival corporate interests could entirely shut them out of the market, illegal research labs were the primary focus of this, as plan 'Olive Branch' was now deemed to be concluded they turned their gaze once more to their neighbours with a more critical eye. It was during this period that tensions began to rise between the Cartel and both the Skanuri Bloc and the Prossnakan Star Hunters, whilst the latter was far from a surprise the Skanuri Bloc after several wars with the Prossnakan were clearly getting a taste for conquest. Whilst it was deemed unlikely they would pose a threat within the next fifty years due to their relative positions within the hyper-lane network meaning they'd have to deal with the Yeon Progenitors before ever being able to reach the Cartel's outer most systems.

During this period Proculus Manilius managed to secure a second term as Oligarch, many among the Cartel attributing this to the vast wealth and economic golden age he had helped usher in that still showed no signs of stopping. The settling of the Gaia world formed the core of his re-election speech as it became a rallying symbol which was further solidified when it was named New Vulpinus. It was a world so pristine and suited for colonisation that the lines of people enlisting for a spot on the colony ship were said to be several kilometres long at their peak.

The station within the Targon system home of New Vulpinus was also decided on becoming the centre of the Cartel's military command structure as well as being the new home base of a planned future third fleet. Border systems were heavily fortified as once again the Skanuri Bloc and Prossnakan Star Hunters declare war on one another however the Skanuri Bloc's signing of a non-aggression pact with the Unified Uriy Suns, the Cartel's longest standing rival was a far greater concern among the upper echelons of the Cartel military causing plans to be drawn up to potentially take out the Uriy Suns before they could form any kind of alliance.

The Janna Fortress, the most heavily defended choke-point in Cartel space.

With the galaxies collective attention focused on old rivalries and their own plans, it took the entire galaxy by surprise when on stardate 13-10-2368 the warring tribes of the Dyss marauders united under a great khan, Gogg. They had up until that point been considered a nuisance, no better than pirates or scavengers and were as likely to war among themselves as to attack any of the other races. Those days were seemingly over, emergency meetings between the Cartel's board of directors and military command lasted for days as a course of action was decided upon in order to safeguard the Cartel.

The first fleet had scarcely left the Cappella system since the 'Pulsar Incident' long-term plans to retrofit and overhaul the fleet were rushed into action ahead of deployment to the Bitrius system. Military analysts deeming it the most likely invasion point from the Dyss Marauders, as vast convoys moved resources into the system as the most rapid fortification of a star-system in the history of the Cartel was begun.

Ship designs which until that point had been no more than blueprints were rushed into production, the Sagittarrii class corvette and the Aurora class cruiser. The Sagittarrii corvette was a radical departure from the Cunning class, focusing primarily on supporting mainline ships with volleys of missile fire, whilst plans were aiming for torpedoes over missiles it was deemed acceptable by the board in the meantime. The Aurora class cruiser was designed around lessons learned in the 'Pulsar Incident' arrays of medium plasma cannons formed its core armament supported by a large railgun and a pair of new ion disruptors its goal was simply to overwhelm its targets with superior firepower.

The shipyards at Cappella were a chaotic hive of activity for weeks as the entire fleet was retrofit and new designs were rushed into manufacture. The Cartel's generous surplus of resources was almost entirely sold off simply to feed the vast amount of refined alloys needed to all but rebuild the entire first fleet and fortify the border systems as rapidly as possible.

New ships and crews were pressed into service at a rate never seen since the Cartel had first mastered faster than light travel as news about the newly united Dyss Marauders began to reach them. Refugees from the Mith-Fell Shipping Alliance limped into Cartel space giving them their first taste of just how vicious the Marauders had become, they had torn apart Mith-Fell space in a matter of months far outstripping even the most worrying projections of the Cartel's brightest minds. No more than a few weeks passed after the first refugees arrived than it was learned that the entire Mith-Fell Shipping Alliance had been utterly destroyed by the Dyss Horde, their people reduced to nought but a few handfuls of frightened settlers who were taken in on New Vulpinus.

The Dyss Horde annihilate the Mith-Fell Shipping Alliance in a matter of months.

As had been a tradition for 170 years, the first fleet made a parade pass over the capital world but this time rather than it being to assert themselves over the other races, now they prepared to defend themselves from the viciously aggressive Dyss Horde. The Bitrius system became the most heavily defended system in Cartel space dwarfing even the vast fortress of Janna, as both the first fleet and Bitrius station were hoped to be the rock against which the wave of the Dyss Horde would break against.

Only time would tell if they would succeed or fail if they failed to hold them the settlers and refugees of New Vulpinus would be the next victims of the great Khan's crusade to carve out an empire of their own.

The newly reconstructed and retrofit first fleet and Bitrius Station prepare to defend against the roving Dyss Horde.

If you missed the last part you can find it here.