Month 105, Empire of the Chosen

Several months ago the Chosen decided to take a risk. Before the collapse 
of their civilization, the Isolationists had discovered no less than five 
different alien civilizations in their territory. True to their 
philosophy, the Isolationists had withdrawn from each system without 
initiating contact, and then ringed the warp point leading to each system 
with mines and buoys in case the aliens spontaneously discovered warp 
travel. Things had changed for the Chosen, though, and they were much, 
much more desperate now. Instead of ignoring the other races, they now 
needed them as allies (or slaves, it was all the same to the Chosen) 
against the rogue AI’s that had stolen their home system. Their primary 
inclination had been to conquer the alien races and force them into 
servitude, but cooler heads had won out in the end. No one had doubted 
their ability to conquer, of course, but every ship lost in action against 
an alien race was one less ship available to take back their home system. 
Instead, they had developed a cunning plan. Well, at least it was cunning 
for a Chosen.

Tiny scout ships, battered and damaged, were sent to two of the alien 
races that lay in close proximity to each other. These scout ships were to 
make contact and establish communications. They were to woo the alien 
races to the Chosen cause, and convince them that the other alien race was 
a monster, a threat not only to the Chosen but to themselves as well. The 
Chosen intended to goad the two races into fighting each other, then their 
fleets would sweep in to conquer them after they exhausted themselves. 

Unfortunately, the Chosen weren’t much at wooing, and the two races they 
picked to try this subtle and cunning plan on were, by chance, almost as 
nasty as the Chosen. For two months the two races attempted to learn how 
to talk to the Chosen, while in the mean time they surveyed their system 
for warp points. Finally, both races, completely independently, tired of 
the Chosen and their arrogance and decided to take more direct action. 

The Gorlieth Propriety managed to seize the Chosen contact ship intact, 
although the Chosen officers managed to purge their databanks. The Zintar 
Conglomerates were not so lucky, and they were forced to destroy their 
Chosen ship before it could escape. Both races moved their navy to the 
warp points in their systems that led to Chosen space and sent their 
explorers into the adjacent Chosen Systems. The explorers found no trace 
of the Chosen, and immediately began surveys. In one fell swoop the Chosen 
found themselves at war with two other races. Their cunning and subtle 
plan had failed, rather drastically.

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