Spike Society
The Spike Society is a unitary state located in Gakghang Sector and coreward, beyond the farthest reaches of the Vargr Extents.
- It is at the very edge of Charted Space, and by some definitions extends beyond.
- The Empress Wave crippled and nearly annihlated this polity, reducing it to just three inhabited worlds.
[edit]
| Polity | Survey | Code | Type | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spike Society | Pre-Imperial | SpiSoc | No standard code | None |
| Spike Society | 1st Survey (300) | Ss | 2-ltr code | None |
| Spike Society | 2nd Survey (1065) | SpSo | 4-ltr code | None |
The Society was unknown to the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service until 1104, but following standard practice, the above codes were retroactively added upon the Society's discovery.
Description (Specifications)[edit]
A human polity unknown to Charted Space until 1104. They branched off of the Yaskoydri Technocracy in -931, following the Third Doctrinal War, citing abuses and problems in Technocracy governance. At first, their defining trait was being "not Technocracy", but eventually they settled into being a meeting point and cultural blend of the surrounding polities, especially after the Solomani Preserve's discovery of the Yaskoydri Technocracy in 1 and subsequent introduction into regional politics.
Not as exclusionary of aliens as the Technocracy, though between the Yaskoydri, Pirian, and (after 1) Solomani races of humaniti (not to mention a few relatively pure blooded Darmine clans that decided the Solomani Preserve was no longer for them), this polity is overwhelmingly human.
The main point of contact for this polity into Charted Space is the Spike Constellation, a Jump-1 main in the Spike Subsector of Gakghang Sector that continues to coreward. Before the Empress Wave, these worlds were merely the most convenient to traffic traveling between the Yaskoydri Technocracy to spinward and various destinations trailing. After the Empress Wave, all the other worlds are (claimed to be) barren and forbidden to outsiders, the Society reduced to just three worlds.
As of 1105 the Society is coming out of what has been described as "a generation-long shell shock and mourning". Most of those alive in the Society are aware that their ancestors survived a great tragedy, but they themselves did not live through it, and are pressing to get on with rebuilding and reclaiming their legacy.
Culture & Society (Ethnology)[edit]
As one Imperial Interstellar Scout Service cultural historian put it, "It's like if Vilani tried to live like Vargr." Despite being a small polity, it has tried a number of government types over the years, always falling back to something not that far from its roots - and sometimes bearing the consequences of being less than thoroughly planned out. Experimentation, and support for those whose experiments fail, are tenets woven into their society.
Some say this borderline mania made them more susceptible to the Empress Wave. As of 1105 they are taking longer than their neighbors to fully recover (though this may also be due to focusing recovery efforts on Back Spike). Although the reports have not been verified, the Society now claims all of their coreward worlds are barren, the experimental anti-Wave measures taken there having not only failed but backfired - though at least they produced data that guided more successful measures for three of their remaining four worlds.
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
- -998--937: Third Doctrinal War of the Yaskoydri Technocracy, the "False Flag Wars". Elements within the Technocracy commit mass murder and other crimes, killing hundreds of billions. Tolerance of corruption and lax law enforcement are partially blamed, as are elements of the Yaskoydri Leader caste who are judged hostile to other castes.
- -933--932: Segments of Yaskoyloyt's heavily damaged orbital infrastructure, floating in space and condemned, are salvaged and turned into a small fleet of colony ships, capable of transporting about 20 million - a bit shy of 0.1% of Yaskoyloyt's surviving population at the time.
- -931: The salvaged fleet heads trailing, picking up some survivors from the rest of the Technocracy (and evacuating at least one entire world; damaged historical records muddy the issue). Once beyond the Technocracy's borders they proceed a bit further, then stop at what would eventually be known as Core Spike. After consultation and dropping off most of the colonists, the fleet colonizes all worlds in the surrounding jump-1 main before returning to Core Spike, where they are eventually (over the next century, after Core Spike's highport is operational) broken down and remade into a fleet of cargo ships.
- -855: As the truth of the Third Doctrinal War is established, a few more colonists arrive - some from the Technocracy, some from the Pirian Domain. The Spike Society's status as an outlet for disaffected sophonts is confirmed.
- -648: Spike Society begins colonization to coreward. In the same year, the Society volunteers some of its scouts to assist the Technocracy with first contact duties for aliens fleeing the Empress Wave. Said refugees are universally directed into the Technocracy. As it is put at the time (translated from Oynprith), "Technocracy for those seeking shelter. Society for those seeking homes."
- 1: Society government learns of contact from the Solomani Preserve after the Preserve is in talks with the Technocracy and the Domain. According to potentially sensationalized (and thus inaccurate) documents, their delegation arrives at the conference just in time to see it end. Polite introductions and precisely zero political capital are made.
- 21: Noticing an increased adoption of Preserve culture among the Pirians, and wishing to cement the Society's status as a major stop on the trade route between the Technocracy and the Domain, President Giran pushes Society society to imitate the Pirians and adopt Preserve culture. While not much additional trade traffic flows to the Society as a result, by 38 the effort is largely complete, and Anglic is officially adopted across the Society.
- 46: It is estimated that the bulk of the paperwork from the change has now been completed. The change is itself deemed an experiment, that would be too onerous to back out of. The rimward jump-1 main's worlds have been renamed into the "Spike Constellation", each system named for some part of a spike or sword pointed rimward.
- 249-250: Fourth Doctrinal War of the Yaskoydri Technocracy. Society warships - none bigger than 2,000 tons - are among the first to respond to the Technocracy's call for help. They are destroyed to a one, but manage to inflict enough damage on the invaders to delay their progress until Preserve and Domain capital ships can arrive, almost sparing Yaskoyloyt heavy damage. By the time the Society has built a new fleet, the invaders are being turned back.
- 414: Proclamation issued supporting the founding of the Federation of the Fused Mains, and its territorial claims. Trade relations established.
- 400s-600s: Federation of the Fused Mains becomes a dumping ground ("popular emigration destination", as some put it) for those disaffected with the Spike Society, causing a net reduction in population large enough to disrupt technological progress.
- 690s: Emigration to the Federation of the Fused Mains abruptly drops to less than 1% of the prior decade. Investigation finds no conclusive reason, but the popularly accepted explanation is that those suffering from particular types of disaffection have simply run out with no replenishment.
- Circa 1043: The Empress Wave crashes through the Spike Society. They have received no warning from the Yaskoydri Technocracy, which remains a sore point for decades afterward (specifically, the lifetime of the youngest of the survivors and their eventual immediate descendants; the second generation born after the Wave proves more forgiving). Various anti-Wave measures are tried on the coreward worlds; all backfire, leaving the worlds barren. Core Spike and Back Spike manage to keep some of their population, using measures that Tip Spike subsequently successfully follows.
- 1044: All coreward worlds are declared barren, and placed off-limits to all traffic other than Society government. Armed patrols established to enforce this quarantine.
- 1045-1097: Rebuilding measures focus on Back Spike, officially getting the infrastructure back up so as to eventually quickly rebuild Core Spike and Tip Spike, and set up for recolonization of the coreward worlds. This focus causes Core Spike's and Tip Spike's recovery to lag. Popular unrest is distracted, largely by blaming the Yaskoydri Technocracy for all of the Society's woes.
- 1097: Blaming the Yaskoydri Technocracy finally stops working on a majority of the surviving population (most of those who lived through the Empress Wave having since died). Focused restoration of Back Spike is forced to terminate, freeing up resources for Core Spike and Tip Spike. However, Back Spike has (barely) reached TL-15 capability, by some measures accomplishing the point of the focused restoration.
Language & Letters (Communication)[edit]
Following (and swept up in) the Pirian cultural shift of the 20s and 30s, Anglic has become their official primary language (even to the point of officially adopting and using Anglic translations of their polity, world, and other location names), though given their heritage and proximity to the Yaskoydri Technocracy, Oynprith is a common secondary language.
Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)[edit]
This polity can be primarily found in the following areas:
Charted Space:
Beyond Charted Space:
- Coreward of Gakghang Sector
Capital/s: 1105[edit]
The capital/s of this polity is/are located in the following location/s:
World Listing: 1105[edit]
The following systems and worlds are a part of this polity:
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References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]
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- Author & Contributor: Adrian Tymes