Verpletter

“Verpletter - The Wild West of Humanity. That place has been at war with itself for the last ten thousand years, and anyone who has a vision for the Confederacy and Humanity at large seems to be heading over there. It's… Almost humbling to think that the entirety of Humanity could be changed by what happens in there.” - Admiral Xerraken Ashmoth, 199,980AD

Verpletter, formerly known as the Messiah Galaxy, is a Dwarf Galaxy that orbits a larger galaxy known as Asameth. In 189,450AD, the galaxy was seperated from the rest of the universe by Black Holes and Solar Storms. After ten thousand years, those issues have cleared up, and travel and communication are now possible again.

However, Verpletter has become a battleground for hundreds of factions, all fighting various ideological wars and conflicts. It has become the site of many travellers who possess radical political beleifs, looking to serve and help fight for the factions they ideologically allign with. The spread of various ideologies constantly threaten to spread into the wider Confederacy and universe generally.

In various languages within the galaxy, Verpletter is a word for "Shattered" or "Divided".

Overview

Verpletter is a moderately sized Dwarf galaxy of approximately 100 Million stars, which orbits the larger Asameth Galaxy, that in the past, was the frontier of the Confederacy of Humanity roughly ten thousand years before the 200th millennium. Due to a series of black holes and solar storms, it was cut off from the rest of the confederacy for several millennia, during which it’s various Human colonies were separated from one another, and many regressed technologically, having the start back up again over the centuries. 

Once the storms cleared up, the galaxy was discovered to be an immensely divided sector of space, and much of its history is characterized by ideological war, which often threatens to spill into the wider confederacy, and become a wider issue for the entirety of Humanity. It is sometimes referred to as the Wild West on the edge of Confederacy territory. 

Due to its distinct separation, the galaxy has its own calendar that it uses rather than the wider Human standard. This calendar is referred to as the Verpletter Counter, and is on a timeline of about 10,550 years. Years are written out as, for example, 10,000VC (Verpletter Continuum).

Approximately 25,000 sentient alien species are known to exist within the galaxy aside from Humanity. In spite of this, Humanity is the dominant species within the Verpletter Galaxy. Some Human factions accept aliens into them, while others seek to exterminate them. 

Native Species Of Verpletter

Despite being a dwarf galaxy, and the near dominance of Humanity, there are hundreds of aliens within the Verpletter Galaxy

Species	Homeworld	Description	Affiliation
Oswaihr	Qal-Trenski	Oswaihr are a herbivorous species that evolved as a prey species. They possess eyestalks out of the top of their skulls, possess three fingers and two thumbs on both hands, and are typically purple skinned. They were one of the founding members of The Commune Federation.	The Commune Federation
Elmaren	Hosmiyr

 

History

Originally known as the Messiah Galaxy, an unimportant dwarf galaxy that colonized in the midst of large expansionist waves of colonists set out from the Confederacy. The region was scanned, and it was found that there was an abundance of raw energy in the galaxy, and thus, it became a site for colonization. Due to it’s relatively small size, the galaxy was colonized relatively quickly by industry and businesses that sought to gain a profit from the new frontier. 

In 189,450AD, just a hundred years after the initial colonization efforts of the Messiah galaxy, a series of unexplained space storms and black holes opened up all around the Messiah Galaxy, and in spite of it’s advanced technological capabilities, the Confederacy was not able to reach the dwarf galaxy, communicate with it, or send any kind of supplies to it. It is unclear what exactly caused this series of events to transpire, though some scientists within the Confederacy think that there was a wormhole of some sort that was undetected by modern instruments that caused the blockade. 

Since they were cut off from the wider Human race, the Humans within the galaxy began to build up their own worlds and governments. Because of how spread out Humanity was, due to various groups seeking out various claims of energy reserves, many of these groups had no method of contacting one another, or were even necessarily aware of one another's existences. Some of these factions had to start from a far more primitive level of technology, while some had to start from the very beginning of the technological tree of Humanity, needing to develop agriculture once more. Several found themselves on planets with sentient species, some of which were friendly, but some, in such as the case of the Kriegsleute, found themselves subject to constant incursions with their alien neighbours. 

The galaxy has 10,000 years of totally unique Human history, and as such has developed dozens of unique cultures, many of which have become near incompatible with the Confederacy at large. In spite of that, several factions do seem interested in joining the wider humanity again. 

Energy Resources

Verpletter is well known for possessing large natural resources of energy - It possesses a multitude of nebula’s, which are made up of an energy-dense material known as Mamedov. This resource is capable of producing immense amounts of energy that are capable of providing for colonies for decades , and is thus a very valuable resource to have. The abundance of Mamedov-rich nebula’s were a primary reason for colonizing the galaxy in the first place. 

Many factions within Verpletter have noted the value of these nebulae, and have set up colonies in and around them. They often become strategically valuable locations, and targets for conquest in the event of conflict. It is not uncommon for conflict to break out due to claims surrounding these nebulae either. 

Factions

There are dozens of factions within the Verpletter galaxy, and these factions typically possess immense ideological differences, some of which are insurmountable. Some factions forge alliances with others, while some outright reject compromise or cooperation with those who aren’t adherents to their ideologies. 

The Commune 

“Speaking pragmatically, if we abandon a few minor colonies, like Usenov and Tejaswi, we might be able to outflank the invaders.” - Militia Advisor Besren Adhora

“There are no minor colonies in The Commune.” - Solar Militia leader Luna Sanderson, 199,999AD, 9,999VC

 The Commune is a faction of about 2,500 solar systems, organized into a Federation-like system. It expands typically through the peaceful integration of new worlds into it’s federation, though it has been known to annex territory from those that attack them. It is accepting of alien species into its faction, and is known for being an incredibly difficult faction to invade due to its focus on defense, but is equally known for not being very good at launching wide scale invasions for the exact same reason. 

The primary ideology of this system is a form of Anarcho-Communism designed to be compatible for space travel. It’s twin capital worlds are Marx and Engels, a double-planet that orbits the binary stars of the Linkinsik System. It is considered one of the most diverse factions due to it’s tolerance and acceptance of aliens. 

Due to a series of corporations dictating the runnings on their homeworlds for three millenia, the workers of the twin-worlds eventually rose up to overthrow their rulers, and established their own systems based on mutual aid, democracy, and communal living. It is known to possess a pathological hatred towards authoritarian regimes. 

Kreigsleute 

“Species and Steel.” - The Chant of the Kreigsleute

The Kreigsleute is a faction that has expanded to about 7,000 solar systems. It is an aggressive, imperialist, fascistic regime which demands obedience to the state and to the homeworld, a barren dustball known as Kreig. 

Krieg was previously the homeworld of the insectoid, millipede and centipede species known as the Ik’Ik’Vikira and the Zek’eke’zka respectivly, and was then known as Liq’Ziq. The Kreigesleute claim that the insect species kept attacking them unprovoked, and that they fought back, though the Ik’Ik’Vikira and Zek’eke’zka contest this, claiming that the Kreigsleute attacked them first. Whatever the case may be, the Kreigsleute drove the species off of their homeworld, and asserted themselves as the dominant species, in spite of hostile wildlife. They then began to establish a space empire, driving out dozens of species from their homeworlds and establishing a Human-supremacy ideology.

The Deciarchy of the Overlord

“The Overlord Wills It.” - The Prayer of the Deciarchy

The Deciarchy of the Overlord is a Theocratic Technocracy, focused around the Praise system. They practice a religion they refer to as “The Cult of The Overlord.”

The Deciarchy refers to the fact that the empire of about 4,000 worlds is divided into ten distinct zones, which all have a certain degree of autonomy within the Deciarchy, and are expected to be able to act independently of the others should the need arise. 

This faction worships a mega-computer found as the centre of a gas giant that they have named Salvation. The computer, which they refer to as ‘The Overlord’,  gives them instructions on what to do, and because the Deciarchy worships the computer as a God, they follow these instructions without question, even in the event that such an order makes little logistical sense, such as going to war against much larger foes, often justifying it’s decisions by simply stating “The Overlord Wills It.” 

The Union Of The Stars Of Gold (UTSG) 

“We’ve lost our capital, our territory, our honour - But to think that we’re even close to being defeated is the flaw of the feeble minded - The Union shall rise! The Union shall dominate, and The Union shall lead mankind out of this galaxy, and rejoin our siblings of the stars!” - Supreme Union Tatriarch Tadalesh Hasanov

The Union Of The Stars Of Gold, commonly referred to as the UTSG, is a faction that controls about 3000 solar systems. It is an Authoritarian regime that has been known to get into conflicts with The Commune and the Kreigsleute most commonly, though it has been known to conflict with other factions. 

The UTSG appears to be inspired by the Soviet Union of the 2nd millennium. It espouts similar rhetoric to The Commune, but says that a strong leader is the only way forward. To that end, they have engaged with The Commune on ideological grounds many times. While they lost their previous Capital, Sovietsvaaste, they rebuilt a larger empire outside The Communes grasp, and have turned their worlds into fortifications that any invasion force will have to contend with. 

The UTSG has been known to work with and accept alien races within its ranks. At least one major avian species known as the Hawkris are known to be either allies or a part of the empire

Liberty Empire 

“Competition is the name of the game - The strong survive and the weak die. That’s the way nature intended it be, that’s the way our empire will survive.” - Percival Augustus, Oligarch of the Augustus Line Corporation 

The Liberty Empire is an Empire of about 1,500 solar systems. In spite of its name, the Empire is an Oligarchal Corporatocracy. In practice, it is something of an Anarcho - Capitalist society. 

Spread throughout the many worlds, there are a dozen or so major mega-corporations that practically rule over their local systems - All work and jobs are in service to those companies, and there are next to no regulations in place to prevent them from doing as they desire. When a corporation fails, another one steps in to take its place. The Liberty Empire is known for its corporations often fighting one another, rather than bothering with external forces. As such, they are somewhat left alone, as no other faction sees them as an immediate threat. However, they have had repeated conflicts with the Deciarchy, often acting on the command of the Overlord. 

These corporations and their small Empires within a larger overall empire are usually ruled by either one, or a select few oligarchs, whomst harvest the vast majority of the profits from industry and spoils of war. Many of these oligarchs are in contact with one another, and don’t tend to hold grudges against one another over minor skirmishes. They also possess the ability to work as a united force in the event of invasion, or when their workers start to get antsy. 

Yarshen Dominion 

The Yarshen Dominion is a faction that has a majority alien population. A species known as the Yarshen - A Humanoid species with varying bright-coloured skin tones, and dark coloured hair - Which is native to the Verpletter Galaxy. The Yarshen Dominion is a faction that rules over about 200 solar systems - A small faction compared to many of the Human Empires around it. 

[Further information pending]