999 OCTILLION SOULS, June 11, 2024
I FLIGHT 37
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.37
EXCERPT FROM ECHOES OF THE SWARMS
Eons after the Great Exodus, humanity resided within Dyson swarms, webs that captured the energy of their host stars. Yet, amidst this technological marvel, simmered a conflict as old as time itself – greed and the yearning for freedom.
By the 742nd mega annum of the Illuminated Epoch, the Core Systems, nestled within mature Dyson swarms, had become a technological juggernaut. The Ascendant Authority, led by the enigmatic High Chancellor Aethel Voss, oversaw a society fueled by abundant energy and unparalleled advancement. However, on the fringes of the galaxy, the Rim Systems, with their less-developed Dyson swarms, struggled with limited resources and a growing sense of exploitation.
luo_ji: is Aethel a man?
translator: yes
The catalyst for the Days of Purge was a decree from the Core – the Universal Energy Tithe. This legislation, a blatant power grab by the Ascendant Authority, demanded a crippling tax on energy produced in the Rim. The Rim Systems, led by the fiery Speaker Erala Vegadalf, a former engineer who had witnessed firsthand the Core's disregard, erupted in protest.
cap_mal: damn taxes
From the Rim Systems arose the Phoenix Collective (PHX), a resistance movement forged in the fires of discontent. Led by Speaker Vegadalf, the PHX championed Rim autonomy and a fairer share of the galaxy's resources. They lacked the Core's advanced weaponry, but their ingenuity shone through. PHX operatives conducted daring raids on Core energy relays, crippled vital infrastructure with cybernetic sabotage, and infiltrated the Core's elite with sleeper agents.
The Night of the Shattered Stars, also known as the Great Purge or Operation Stardust, was a political purge that took place in the Core Systems from 30 June to 2 July 42197 AN, 120 years before the Grand Empire was founded. High Chancellor Aethel Voss, urged on by his allies General Kael Draken and High Inquisitor Liora Vex, ordered a series of extrajudicial executions to consolidate his power and address the concerns of the Ascendant Authority military regarding the role of Commander Zarek Valen and the Legion of Shadows, the paramilitary organization, colloquially known as Black Cloaks. Grand Imperial propaganda later portrayed the massacre as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the Legion under Valen – the so-called Valen Uprising.
The primary instruments of Voss's operation, which carried out most of the killings, were the Inquisitors, a paramilitary force under Vex, and its Intelligence Division, along with the secret police of the Ascendant Authority led by Director Rena Tal. Draken's elite soldiers also participated in the executions. Many of those killed in the Great Purge were leaders of the Legion of Shadows, the most notable being Valen himself, the Legion's chief of staff and one of Voss's longtime supporters and allies. Leading members of the radical faction of the Zynorian Peace Party, including its leader Darius Kane, were also eliminated, as were establishment conservatives and Rim sympathizers like former Chancellor Jarek Thorne and Senator Kalara Reyne, who had previously opposed Voss's rise to power. The murders of the Legion leaders were also intended to improve the image of Voss's administration with an increasingly critical Core public, who were disturbed by the Legion's violent methods.
Voss saw the independence of the Legion of Shadows and their penchant for street violence as a direct threat to his newly acquired political authority. He also wanted to appease leaders of the Galactic Fleet, the Core military loyal to the Ascendant Authority, who feared and despised the Legion as a potential rival, particularly because of Valen's ambition to merge the Fleet and the Legion under his command. Voss was uncomfortable with Valen's outspoken support for a "second revolution" to redistribute wealth. In Valen's view, President Orion Drake's appointment of Voss as Chancellor on 30 January of that year had brought the Zynorian Peace Party to power but had left unfulfilled the party's broader goals. Finally, Voss used the Great Purge to target critics of his new regime, especially those loyal to Vice-Chancellor Erynn Thal, as well as to settle scores with enemies and suspected Rim agents.
At least 85,000 people died during the Great Purge, though the final death toll may have been in the millions, with high estimates ranging from 700,000 to five million. More than a million perceived opponents and Rim agents were arrested. The Great Purge strengthened and consolidated the support of the military for Voss. It also provided a legal grounding for the Ascendant Authority regime, as the Core courts and cabinet quickly set aside millennia of legal prohibition against extrajudicial killings to demonstrate their loyalty to the High Chancellor. The Night of the Shattered Stars was a turning point for the Core government. It established Voss as the supreme administrator of justice for the Core Systems people, as he declared in his 13 July speech to the Galactic Senate.
Duration of Conflict: 120 Years (42,197 – 42,317)
The ensuing conflict, known as the Days of the Purge, became a vicious ballet of violence and retaliation. The Ascendant Authority, wielding an arsenal of advanced warships and energy weaponry, launched punitive strikes against Rim settlements. The Rim, though vastly outnumbered, countered with guerilla tactics, asteroid-based ambushes, and crippling cyberattacks. The once magnificent Dyson swarms became battlegrounds, their intricate structures marred by the scars of war.
Estimated Casualties:
Core Systems: 20 Trillion Civilians, 5 Trillion Military Personnel
Rim Systems: 35 Trillion Civilians, 10 Trillion Resistance Fighters
The Days of the Purge descended into a bloody stalemate. The Core, despite their technological dominance, couldn't control the expanse of the Rim. The Rim, lacking the resources for a sustained war, couldn't hope to overthrow the Core's might. Entire settlements were reduced to smoldering ruins, derelict starships littered the interstellar void, and accusations of atrocities on both sides became commonplace.
Major Battles:
Battle of Altair Prime (42,223 AN): Decisive Core victory, crippling Rim shipyard facilities.
The Great Blackout (42,278 AN): Massive PHX cyberattack plunges Core Systems into darkness for a week.
Siege of New Vega (42,312 AN): The last stand of the Rim resistance, ended with a negotiated surrender.
Exhausted by the relentless conflict and facing a potential energy crisis due to the Rim's cyber-warfare, the Core reluctantly agreed to negotiations. The Treaty of Altair Prime, signed in the year 42,317 AN, brought a fragile peace. The Core maintained nominal control, but the Rim Systems secured a degree of autonomy and a fairer share of energy production.
Economic Impact:
Core Systems: Energy production down by 25% for ten millennia.
Rim Systems: Widespread devastation, resource depletion exceeding 70%.
The Days of the Purge left a galaxy forever scarred. Distrust festered, a wound that would take millennia to heal. The Core, shaken by the Rim's resilience, embarked on a path of militaristic expansion, a trend that led to the rise of the First Grand Empire.