The Confederacy of the Arcateen

[The Arcateen]

(OOC: There may be one or two little Doctor Who references here for the more eagle-eyed sci-fi buffs. All I can say is- um... Never mind, there just are OK?)

The Arcateenians where an ancient race- with a history stretching back aeons. They had discovered faster than light travel and could traverse the galaxy in mere hours. They had learnt how to terraform planets. They had experimented with the basic technologies needed to unlock the secrets of timetravel. With an empire stretching across the sector, in competition- though not war- with the Oblivioners they had proudly prepared to join the ranks of the greatest races of the universe. And it all went wrong. First the Oblivioners had nearly wiped themselves out with their arcane experiments into genetics and psychic energy, and then the Great Time War erupted. Races far more powerful and advanced than either the Arcateenians or the Oblivioners could dream of waged war across the Space-Time Vortex. Planets fell out of time, devastating paradoxes were created, inter-dimensional travel became impossible. The many of higher species were rendered extinct, dozens of them. Other races were devastated and left crippled facing a slow decline into extinction. At least one race was even robbed of physical forms. Some of these peoples attempted to revive themselves by staging attacks on more primitive worlds- but these efforts were nearly all fatal defeats.
The Oblivioners were one of the races erased out of existance by the War, but the Arcateenians survived. Barely- a race of many billions was reduced to a few million. Much higher technology was destroyed due to the War or lost as they desparately tried to survive in these new, dark times. Many of their allies had been wiped out or were similarly ravaged- there was no help to be had. What worlds of the empire survived were abandoned as the Arcateen survivors retreated to the Core Worlds and sank into isolation as they sought to rebuild what they had lost.

But the sun will always rise again.
They had survived. The Arcateen race was still an advanced one. Their Core worlds were still safe and intact. They still had the will to rebuild. And because of their technology and isolation no aggressive races were able to find and attack them in this moment of weakness. It took nearly a decade of intense rebuilding, but at last the Confederacy of the Arcateen was ready to come out of isolation. There were still only a few million of them, but they were proud and ready to reengage with the rest of the galaxy.

[The Arcateen]

The new leadership of the Arcateenian Confederacy has made the decision to end the many years of carefully protected isolation. The theory being that- with a reestablished navy, a society that has stabilised itself and is pulling out of what was seen by some as a terminal decline and the general improvment in Arcateenian moral at the establishing of the first sucessful colony worlds- the new diplomatic contacts will inspire new ideas in politics and culture. These aspects are perhaps the most important aspects, for many Arcateenians, of life. Another name for the race is 'the Star Poets'. In the pre-Time War eras they were renowned across the galaxy, even the universe, as a race that created stunning pieces of literature and works of art.
Politics itself was rewritten recently with the formation of a new political party, the Active Reform Front. Offering a new hope with a charismatic and optimistic platform, this parties leaders went out of their way to inspire and to create 'a racial reawakening' by 'remembering the majestic beauty of our people and reapplying them to modern life'. The basis of this parties success was its ability to create a mass feeling that the dark times where over now.

"We have survived! The decline has been overcome, the period of morning for our dead and our losses, for the near destruction of our culture and the annihilation of our empire must come to an end. We can now look at the future. We must reestablish ourselves and live up to the legacy of the Star Poets! Peacefully, democratically, benevolently let us go forward with our new found properity and develop again a high and mighty race of beings. If we do not all vote for hope and the future now, then we will always be mere shadows of our former successes. I am not content with that, and I will always champion the argument for advancement and further enlightenment. I cannot criticise the old governments policies and actions. Those tough measures and the focus on the essentials were necessary for the Arcateen races to avoid extinction- to preserve our amazing culture. But those days have passed, and a new light has been seen. The sun has risen again! And in this new dawn we can celebrate our history and show the galaxy just why we are the Star Poets!"
Hom'thee, leader of the ARF during the election campaign. He won by a leadslide and was selected by the Confederate Council as the Chancellor.