From Stardust You Are (FT/IC/CLOSED)

[Palmyrion]

Palmyrion Presents...

A long time into the future, in a galaxy not far, far away...

FROM STARDUST YOU ARE

---

To stardust you shall return

Galtia delenda est.

Sarah Schachner - Anthropic Universe

Humanity had always wanted to reach for the stars since the dawn of human civilization on Earth, with much mythology and astrology written about the heavenly bodies that for much of human existence has been beyond reach, the heavens a realm reserved only for the gods and the earth a realm to which mortals were shackled. It wasn't until the end of the 1939-1945 Second Civil War that humanity finally started to wriggle about in its earthly chains, finally gaining a semblance of freedom from the earthly realm it was shackled to by the tyranny of gravity.

The perfection of the Alcubierre Drive in 2524 meant that humanity was finally unshackled from its earthly cradle, and thus humanity began staking out its claim in the heavens, for better or for worse. Humanity settled star systems that until now have been reachable only in its dreams and stories, and new nations rose across the freshly-settled planets and star systems.

A long period of peace and growth also meant with it a long period of simmering rivalry and luxurious decadence, and it wasn't long before humanity duked it out for the third time: the Third Human Civil War, from 2794 to 2876. As with any war, there was bound to be only one winner, and the Galtian Empire emerged from the ashes as the victor. It would soon bring to heel the divided masses of humanity under its banner, and under the care of the iron-fisted but mostly benevolent monarchy of House Altis, governing from the opulent metropolitan-state of Arcadia, in the eponymous Galtia System.

For 1,000 years, the Galtian Empire ruled as the most powerful polity in the galaxy, governing large swathes of the Milky Way under tender and loving care - and sometimes by pure discipline and harsh force. Mighty pieces of infrastructure and industry were built to facilitate the transport of public and private goods and services, while rebellions were suppressed swiftly and violently the moment they arose. The various species of sapient races in its realms lived in relative piece and mutual integration, even as threats to the stability of the Empire loomed on from within and from without.

However, just like Rome fell in days to the Visigoths, the Galtian Empire would fall in mere years to a unified front of Nifei clanfleets under the leadership of Fujikawa Katsuyori.

---

Cosmas System, Ermedia Sector
GIS The Maiden Saoirse (Imperium-class superdreadnought)
3870

Sarah Schachner - Piccadilly Circus

The Galtian Empire had been embroiled in many a rebellion for almost a century now.

From petty city protests about governmental corruption and hypocrisy being violently put down as the clock ticked, to outright system-wide declarations of secession from the Empire being checked hard and fast by the Imperial Military in months as entire systems soon saw the Galtian Empire as a bloating fetid mass of bureaucracy that sucked the life out of them through heavy tributes and tyrannical leadership. The frontier worlds, those at the teetering edge of the Empire's borders, were the most unlucky of all, entire systems in abject poverty and desolation from exorbitant tributes exacted upon impoverished star systems with little to offer other than raw mineral resources and manpower and destroyed regularly by raids coming from the surrounding alien nations.

And as the Empire hung upon a precipice, the Imperial Military stood standing, on guard to suppress rebellions whatever they may be.

The Maiden Saoirse cruised through the Arlequin Outer Asteroid Belt, weaving its 4-kilometer bulk through the asteroids and carefully so to avoid collisions with the asteroids and any asteroid miner that might be on them. Battlefleet Saoirse, as it was called, had its ships thousands of kilometers apart as would be expected in the vast emptiness of space, each ship covering its own sub-sector within the system and serving as the mothership to a large swarm of drones which provided the first line of firepower wielded by the ship.

"Saoirse, this is Desmond, we have a rebel runner headed straight to us for collision!" one radio transmission rang out, as the Legion-class destroyer Desmond Argus immediately directed its drones to intercept the presumed suicide bomber.

"Desmond, Saoirse, affirmative. Engage at your will. How is the situation on Cosmas Bravo working?" the captain of The Maiden Saoirse replied, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Cosmas Bravo, a planet of 10 billion souls, was starting to collapse, its planetary government buckling under the pressure of years-long riots, continent-spanning famines, and a failing geoengineering project that has kept the delicately-terraformed planet livable for over 300 years.

"They've taken over a geoengineering array and are starting to pick it apart! We are on the process of evacuating the planetary government, but we might not be able to get the entire Senate out on time! We need assist-" a reply came back from the Desmond Argus, just as the call got interrupted. "We're ---- integ--- mast --- impac --- comm --- malf --- need assist ---"

It was not long after that another transmission, this time from a different vessel the Lawrence Osborne, came in, and what it contained was a mortifying message.

NIFEI CLANFLEET - COSMAS ALFA - OVERWHELMING NUMBERS

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

OOC: soon

[Kingdom of Bornai]

Borrani Inthrag Conglart Alrba also known as BICA is a small but strong polity for its size with only 12 Star Systems, 12 Fortress Station for each Star Systems as part of the defensive line each containing 38 Fleets, 16 Habitable planets, 128 Habitable Stations and a population of 36.8 Billion, have been a trading hub for almost 1000 years in it's region. As how it still has not been conquered is an easy question to answer. The strong Defensive Line nicknamed "Invincible" and professional military force trained in defense along side advanced shielding technology have erased any thought from neighbouring polities of attacking. The Defensive line have defended against hundreds of attacks from neighbouring polities since it's creation.

---

Serank System, Arle Sector
IBN The Guardian (Pondaro-Class Dreadnought)

The Guardian is the leader of a fleet containing 128 Starship the 32nd Defense Fleet of The Serank Fortress Station (32nd Serank Fleet) guarding the BICA Defensive Line. Every Fleet contains 1 Dreadnought, 4 Carriers, 12 Battleships, 18 Heavy Cruisers, 32 Cruisers, 50 Destroyers and 11 support ships.

The 32nd Serank Fleet patrols the defensive line as usual, before getting an SOS signal from a nearby merchant convoy. The 32nd Serank Fleet quickly went to the source of the signal and see pirates attacking the merchant convoy. [i]The Guardian fires a shot to the nearest pirate ship adn destroying it in an instant. The rest of the fleet follows suit firing at the other pirate ships. After 20 minutes of battle, the pirates lost all their ships with no casualties to the 32nd Serank Fleet thanks to their advanced shielding technology and a thousand years worth of experience. Pirate attacks are a daily occurrence but the Fleets took care of them smoothly while rebellion never happened due to the high political freedom where any legal citizens with citizenships are allowed to go into politics as long as they are legally an adult and the high quality of living due to being a economic hub for its region.

[The Uid]

---

In the depths of the fortress-planet Ater, nearing the lowest reaches of its all-consuming sponge arcologies, stood perhaps the oldest structure the Uid had ever constructed. It had managed to lower itself past the surrounding construction by dint of where it had been built - its foundations sank into a great, circular depression in the otherwise level tract of seabed surrounding it. The cycles had stretched on since its formation, and much of the intrinsic value was lost - these days, background radiation barely registered as higher than the planetary average. Still, there was symbolism to it. And the structure that stretched out of its once-glassy confines was a symbol beyond all others. At its core was a fluted tower, wreathed in crystalline fronds - the latter were a new addition, serving simultaneously an aesthetic and practical purpose, redirecting heated updrafts into a series of hydrothermal capture chambers. Still, both applications had been settled as equally valid, and so to the average passer-by it would register primarily as an objet d’art, its curves highlighted by carefully-scattered backlighting. Visual pollution, in a place so crucial, would be foolish in the extreme.

Atop the tower sat a widened, vaguely fungal disc - perhaps a kilometer in diameter, supported by a webwork of luminous trussing that held it to the surrounding infrastructure. Its upper reaches melted gently into a series of tubular protrusions, which connected it more solidly to the constructs above. This structure, despite its importance, had no name. But at its core, amidst the central spokes of the disk, in a hollowed chamber of jaw-dropping majesty to any species that actually had jaws, the future of the Uid as a whole was presently being decided. This was not, in itself, an uncommon occurrence.

The Imm held such gatherings regularly, as per function. It was not a governing body in the traditional sense - despite its heavy centralization, the Uid’s modus of self-regulation was surprisingly devolved, and spread out over a multitude of smaller systems, both devoid of and partial to sapient input. Large swathes of infrastructure practically ran themselves - a necessity, given their nature and position. But the Imm was a governmental core, a directorate of projects and plans, through which the overall direction of the polity as a whole was routed. That direction was invariably going to be forwards, philosophically-speaking, or else it would defeat the whole point of the thing.

The gathering-chamber was dark, but that was to be expected. Lighting was limited to two iridescent rings, hemming the ceiling and floor, both equally distant - they denoted boundaries, for the sake of practicality, and highlighted entries and exits to the room. Their gentle glow highlighted elements of wall decor - embossed murals, depicting a warped fractal tableau of staggering scope. Perhaps they had meaning, and indeed they were beautiful if viewed in full, but only their very edges were rendered visible. At the center, the walls distended into a series of fluid spokes, stretching towards the center - each tip held a small cup-like dais, making the whole protrusion holding it resemble some sort of distended spoon. The Uid had no concept of spoons, and nobody else had ever seen this room in any case, so the point was moot. The basins were arranged, as one would expect, in a suspended circle near the room’s center, and the gel-padded recesses of each now housed an undulating, nebulous shape. They could be made out by the flickering, pulsating motes of light that speckled them, and periodically one or more would flash up in intensity, shifting pattern and coloration with dizzying speed. This was because a discussion was being held.

The language of the Uid was not a verbal one, except in the loosest possible sense. Sound bore some importance, but was limited largely to the conveyance of general concepts, undertones, moods. The true depth of meaning lay in the visual - the bulk of information was conveyed by shifts in bodily bioluminescence, so fine-tuned as to convey monologues’ worth of meaning in a simple switch of tableau and orientation. And in this series of flickerings, a conversation came to light.

---

The darkness shifts. Proverbial breaths are taken - all participants dim in visibility, acknowledging a break. It has nothing to do whatsoever with respiratory function.

⦿[So it is. We move further - I cede attention to you.]

The Relay Eminent is at the zenith, their spoke elevated above the others by a fraction. Their motes are vibrant, measured, moving in practiced arcs. Paths set in iron. The final remark points loosely to the seat on its left.

◑[Acknowledged. Following harvest, new points available, presenting an opening. The Project may be shifted along, window adjustment is possible.]

Thus speaks the Inward Prefect. Nothing remarkable may be said - the role is filled, adequately and without distinction. A rotation is due, perhaps - but for now, the structure is adequate. At the mention of “The Project”, walls behind the relevant seat flash up, in places - soft, sourceless light accentuating flashes of form and color. It is a language more convoluted than even that which is “spoken”, denoting a series of numerals that have no meaning to anyone outside the room. The multitude of eyes that follow it affirm, and register its purpose. A face is given to form.

◖[Attenuate.]

The Outward Affect is terse, curt. They do not waste energy, nor time - they will serve as prime executor, and so their time is precious. They know that there will be much to do, should matters proceed further.

◑[Shifts in hazard classification have allowed for restructured journey pathing. A suitable intercept-course is therefore available, shifting previously-optimal time window backwards by approximately two hundred and thirty cycles. Compact, unlikely to undergo giant phase-shift. Stability optima within acceptable parameters. Projections promising.]

Further flashes of light along the outer wall. These are more complex, more dynamic - eventually they congeal into a holographic projection, carefully dimmed to not overshadow the Inward Prefect’s words. It is, as evident to all in attendance, a star.

◗[Projections are adequate, I concur. I have reviewed this prior to our gathering - our systems are ready for the intercept, and adjustments to the capture frame may be performed well within the intercept window. Barring further calculatory review, I give my approval.]

The Inward Affect is confident, unwavering. They are prepared. It is their function to be prepared, and a quirk all the same. A mark of stability, extension of service, or perhaps of sudden impending change. Regardless, their affirmation is given - they settle onto the gel-cushions, content to observe for now. There is a pause. The order of discussion is known, but the Outward Affect delays their response. There is a thoughtful sluggishness to their motions.

◖[Rearrangement required. Fleet screening impossible. Currently. Rearrangement possible. Project shifts required.]

Is that reluctance? Perhaps. It is not a form of operation which the Outward Affect finds palatable. It is an understandable sentiment, and the Inward Prefect is ready to respond.

◑[Rearrangements will be supported. As you see fit, adjustments are well within bounds. Support will be given, extensively.]

A reassuring motion, a flashing of crests. A gentle hum, to denote affirmation of words and tone both. The Outward Affect is faster, this time, more clearly confident.

◖[Then so be it. Rearrangements designated, imminent. Barring plan shift. Readiness declared.]

They, too, settle down. Their part is said - all that remains is action. As they shift to a static position, however, they make a final flourish, pointing out a hitherto silent seat. It is unoccupied, the basin wholly empty, but motes of light flash up within it all the same. They resemble the shape filled by each of the other figures, conform to their body-plan, but they are crisper. More clearly artificial, transmitted. It is the only remote attendant, and the measures taken to allow for it would probably be counted as paranoid by an outside observer. Of course, there is no outside observer. That is, indeed, the point.

⨴[I take responsibility for frontal action. I will… assemble screens. I relinquish my current activity. Register it as held.]

◖[Noted. Processed. Accepted.]

The exchange is curt - not impolite, but certainly clipped. It is difficult to attribute to a concrete source - perhaps it is merely the Outward Affect’s manner. Or perhaps not. The Relay Eminent acknowledges their agreement all the same.

⦿[Then a consensus is reached on viability, within.]

The seats flash an affirmation-sequence, in unison. The Relay Eminent acknowledges, and turns their attention upwards.

⦿[Affirm consensus, and display discrepancies.]

The response comes as a wave, motes cascading down the walls in fractal sync. Its voice would be thunderous, omnipresent, were it sound.

⎊[AFFIRMED. CONGEALED.]

The Relay Eminent acknowledges again, then falls proverbially silent. Attention is now drawn to a hitherto-unmoving seat, suddenly aglow with activity.

◐[Your proposal is practicable. But I posit a disadvantage - the system in question is externally claimed. Previous optima pointed towards minimal impact, while this shift guarantees recognition and possible recourse.]

There is something strange regarding the words of the Outward Prefect. They are modulated by undertones of unusual complexity, carefully comprised. Their meaning is layered, their presentation impeccable. Of all in attendance, the finery on display is unparalleled. And their effect is immediate - the Outward Affect rises again.

◖[Denote impact. Risk anathema?]

Weighty words, despite the terse presentation. An air of something arises - perhaps not worry, but certainly a tension of sorts. Expectation directed towards an answer, towards elaboration. The Relay Eminent readies a retraction, just in case. But the Outward Prefect remains unmoved.

◐[Unlikely. We will require heavy screening, but that was par for the course as per intercept. Perhaps you will need to weave in further sensory masking, further noise. That in itself should not pose a problem. The polity in question, the object of trespass, is very large, and very poorly managed. We will not evoke attention from a central body until long after the course is complete, and disengagement is executed. Fifty to a hundred cycles is our estimated window, as per known avenues of communication - barring slowdown, the proposed plan will be rendered safe in ten. However, local fragmentation may pose a more immediate concern - smaller entities making up the greater whole are largely independent, and oft fiercely territorial. They are ignorant of us, and indeed have made minimal efforts to seek out others - I question whether or not they are aware of the neighbors they possess. You may be forced to engage in hostilities in a limited fashion, against below-par adversaries. This, I trust, will not pose a problem.]

◖[No.]

⨴[⠿]

The ghost, the incorporeal, chimes in as well, with a sign that bears no translation. It is a minor breach of conduct, but it is tolerated - after all, their actions will be critical. They are the vanguard. They are allowed some leeway. To many in attendance, this is merely a reminder of just how much. The Outward Prefect closes by again addressing the Relay Eminent. Their tone is courteous.

◐[I am willing to enter negotiations, but they are unlikely to be received. Therefore I posit communication-silence with the affected, and a period of internal comms restriction for the sake of security. I also recommend a post-action scouring of system bounds, to minimize risk of information leakage.]

The mass murder is an afterthought, a footnote. It is acknowledged without so much as a blink of an eye, though this is moreso down to physiological inability.

⦿[Then a consensus is reached on viability, without.]

Another call to the ceiling, to whatever is concealed amidst the ring of light.

⦿[Affirm consensus, and display discrepancies.]

Another pulse of visual noise, of affirmation from a greater system.

⎊[AFFIRMED. CONGEALED.]

Now all eyes turn to another, previously silent seat. No grand preparation is made, no monologue offered, but the two confirmations have fallen in, and thus the floor is given to the ultimate executor. A whole-body pulse, in every direction simultaneously.

⦾[⠀]

The room responds in kind, a more drawn-out pulse, stripped of meaning. It is followed by another series of shorter exclamations, a final sealant to the decision made.

⎊[FINAL AFFIRMATION. CONGEALED. TRANSMITTED. ADJOURNED.]

---

And so the die was cast.