Undaunted by the enemies closing in around us, the scientific council announced their intentions for a second colony ship to be constructed in 2239, taking brave explorers to establish new habitation on Wistral II, a planet well-studied and rich in minerals, long-considered to be a viable candidate for colonization. As our empire began preparations, including selecting the best and brightest among us to travel the stars, the venerable admiral Stalk of Olive announced plans to run defensive drills in the area surrounding the new prospect, ensuring a smooth arrival.
Armed with the recently-designed Tebault-class destroyers, the improved Philosoph Armada, strangely enough no longer containing any Philosoph-class corvettes, began to sweep the neighboring star systems to discourage any rebel or pirate factions from finding purchase. Unexpectedly several flights of crystalline aliens warped into close proximity, and the latest series of battles for space supremacy began.
As our brave pilots fought two aggressive fleets, a third warped in almost directly atop of them, forcing the admiral to call for a retreat. Many ships did not survive the battle, but the enemy forces were greatly weakened. It was the hope that he could return at full strength to finish them off. So impassioned was his plea that the council put all plans for colonization on hold, in order to divert resources to the military – a move which greatly pleased the Military-Industrial Complex faction.
The first election for the position of Director-General began in early 2240, with results announced short months after. The well-regarded scientist Stalk of Burgundy, leader of several impressive research missions, was chosen to lead our empire for the next forty years, paving the way for a true scientific and technological era.
The new Director-General expressed that a careful balance must be maintained between scientific accomplishment and defense. Wishing to extend our borders to make more resources available, he cautioned that doing so would by necessity require more funding for the military. Seeing wisdom in his approach, the scientific council gave their blessing on his plans to expand and extend our growing empire, though our nearby xenophobic neighbors did not appreciate the change in borders.
