Association of Minor Powers

The Association of Minor Powers (coloquially AMP, Association, or Minor Powers) is a federation of various space-faring races who are poor, maligned by larger powers or who otherwise play a minor role in galactic politics.
== History ==
=== Inspiration ===
The ascension of the Haisseiss species to spacehood brought upon them the realisation that they were far less lonely in the universe than they thought. What most shocked the species, however, was that many of these space powers played exceptionally small roles alongside massive space empires dominating vast areas. These small powers, which typically controlled little more than three or four planets at most outside their home system, were resigned to squabbling over what little resources that were left after the massive fleets of the greatest space powers had stripped nearby systems of most usable resources. The Haisseiss, a naturally diplomatic and democratic species, were deeply disappointed. Something, they realised, must be done.
=== Establishment ===
Thirty years after first probing the extrasolar wastes that surrounded their homeworld of Abrinox, the Haisseiss launched the first of their Negotiator-class vessels. Equipped with the original FTL-drive that they had acquired from the derelict on their home system's fourth planet, and staffing the vessel with their top diplomats, they set out to a star system which had been confirmed to harbour intelligent, space-faring life.
=== First year===
The first year of the AMP was rapid. Initially, they could only colonise a single red spice planet a parsec from their homeworld. The colony, designed to be highly independent, managed to survive in the completely alien biosphere. Two months after establishment its revenue broke even, and by the end of the year it was making enough profit to fuel its development. However, the most significant development of the year was the encounter of the Haisseiss with the Serram, six parsecs from their homeworld. The Serram were a highly centralized society, with sparse colonies on the other worlds in their star system, and mining heavily to provide resources for interstellar flight. The arrival of the Haisseiss, however, shocked them - here was a functioning FTL ship, crewed by aliens who were willing to share it with them, in return expecting no more than peaceful cooperation and their adherance to a new, higher government. The Serram agreed, contributing a number of their anti-pirate vessels to the unified fleet of the AMP along with cargo freighters to initiate trade between their system and the Haisseiss's homeworld, Abrinox.
But no one expected the events at the end of the first year. The Karnasaur empire, a major galactic power, had dispatched one of its 'Cityships', massive vessels equivalent to Mothership-class, to investigate radio signals. These were traced to the AMP. The Association was shocked to discover a massive vessel, greater than anything they had ever seen before, take up orbit over Abrinox. Contact between ambassadors of the two empires revealed that the Karnasaurs were willing to put the AMP on the Galactic Senate, as well as creating two alliances for them and opening up trade windows. The Karnasaurs even offered to put the AMP under their 'Protected Empires Plan' - in essence, defending the AMP for them. This proposition was carried to the Courts of Democracy, and every citizen in the AMP was entitled to a vote. The end result was 73.21% in favour of the alliance; as the next year dawned, the results were given to the Karnasaurs.
=== Second year ===
The second year's events carried out mostly in the shadow of the alliance. The first world to be colonised by a joint Haisseiss-Serram operation was a tier-3 world rich in metals, biomatter and spice. To aid in relations to their newfound partners the AMP established the world as a free trade zone, a place where goods could be exchanged without limits between any parties. Also in the year the four Negotiator-class carriers were launched to cheering crowds. The first of these, Robust Argument, was dispatched to colonise the tier-3 world, named Friendship Prime, before being redirected along with her sister ships to discover new empires to incorporate into the AMP. Later in the year, contact with a new, capitalism-driven species, the Hethra, was made. The Hethra, seeing ample opportunity for expansion, immediately accepted the AMP's proposition and incorporated their two-planet empire into the Association.
At the same time, mysterious power signatures of unknown type and massive potential were detected emanating from an area of space over 30 parsecs away. What was previously thought to be a nebula clearly wasn't; the Negotiator-class carrier Unanimous Majority, along with two frigates and six fighters was dispatched with a large number of scientific personnel to investigate.
A request by the Hunre Empire was received around the same time. Though perfectly ready to open negotiations, the AMP, with knowledge of the militaristic nature of the Hunre, dispatched another carrier with a stronger defence - three frigates, ten fighters, four of their newly-acquired corvettes, and a destroyer were sent to meet the Hunre. These suspicions were in error, however, and by the third year of contact of the AMP's existence the two empires had allied with each other.
=== Pirate Empire War ===
The exploration of the Unanimous Majority was hindered somewhat due to the AMP's poor quality FTL drives. Two thirds of the way to their target, they discovered a massive alien vessel in orbit over a large, rocky planet. Civilization wasd discovered on the planet, and the AMP attempted to open peaceful communication with the natives. To their horror, they discovered that the natives were in fact colonists from a vicious pirate empire, which controlled four worlds and had numerous bases across the sector - even inside AMP territory. The Unanimous Majority managed to transmit a single message back to the AMP before contact was lost.
The AMP was shocked. It wasted no time in scrabbling together what few military ships it had. To gain further firepower it arranged with the Karnasaur empire to lease two hundred of its citizens to aid in the construction of the Karnasaur Ringworlds, in return for five frigates (see 'The Ringworld Scandal'). The Heglarean empire donated, out of sheer goodwill, a high-grade FTL drive - a Type 5 Interstellar Drive. The AMP wasted no time in adapting the design and emplacing it into one of their colonial carriers, which had been converted into a cruiser for the purposes of the fleet. After a Karnasaur attack met with failure (due to a misunderstanding with the Hunre empire) the AMP gathered its fleet and most of its military around the Grey Area and arrived in pirate space.
They found themselves close to an asteroid colony, in the same system where the Unanimous Majority taskforce had been destroyed. After negotiations failed again, the AMP was left with no choice but to obliterate the enemy defence fleet and invade the colony. The AMP shock troops managed to clear out any resistance, and ordered that the pirate empire dispatch negotiators, so that the issue could be dealt with in a civilized manner. The pirates agreed.
=== Ringworld Scandal ===
Concurrent to this ran the Ringworld Scandal. When the Karnasaurs delivered a request to the AMP to trade two hundred skilled citizens in exchange for five Karnasaur frigates, the Association, concerned that it might become too militarised, delivered a counter-offer: they would supply the citizens, but in return the Karnasaurs had to vow to give one of the Ringworlds directly to the Galactic Senate, so that it may be used by whichever star-nation required it. The Karnasaurs responded by claiming that, as the AMP were in effect subservient to them, they had no right to make such suggestions and were not proper members of the Senate (despite the fact that had been agreed in the original alliance arrangement between the powers). This provoked a massive backlash from the Heglarean and Hunre empires, both of whom were arguing for the AMP's rights. After vicious debate over their ideology and corruption within the senate, the Karnasaurs gave an apology, however still insisted that the AMP had no actual power. The chair was forced to call a recess. The event shook the AMP into realising that the Karnasaurs might not be the best of allies, and many began to call for a change in close alliances towards the more accomodating Hunre or mediaiting Heglareans, rather than the boisterous Karnasaurs. By the fourth year the AMP made a formal, public change of allegiance (though promising to retain friendly to the Karnasaurs).
=== Alliance with the Hegerglik ===
The biggest issue of the fourth year was the resolution of the Unanimous Majority Crisis. After the asteroid colony siege the AMP's ambassadors were able to convince the pirates, identifying themselves as the insectoid species Hegerglik, that the AMP did not wish for war, merely peaceful transition. However, upon discovering the size and influence of the AMP the Hegerglik opted to join, too, seeing it as the only way to gain importance on the galactic stage. The Association gained numerous planets, asteroid colonies, starbases, ships and citizens.
From this the AMP learned of the history of the Hegerglik. Once a powerful civilization, upon encountering an AMP-like entity they found themselves at bitter war over the ownership of a 'Legendship' - the massive vessel that hung over the world that the AMP discovered. The Mirror AMP, who inhabited an area where these relics were prominent, claimed sole ownership over these. The war that ensued brought about the near-destruction of the Hegerglik, the obliteration of their homeworld, and their descent into piracy to gain the resources they needed to continue fighting. The Mirror AMP had no such troubles; it appeared to siphon energy directly from the mysterious power source the AMP had located. Hoping that reason could prevail, allowing for trade, alliances, and hopefully absorption and the sharing of the Legendships and other relics, the AMP gathered up a new taskforce, led again by the Grey Area and Unanimous Majority, along with numerous smaller vessels, and prepared for contact. Meanwhile Senator Gej Farr on the Peace Council called for their fellow empires to supply any information they had in their libraries and memory banks, as well as scientists, diplomats, and in general citizens who followed a proffession useful in the event of the encounter, to assist .
The announcement brought several useful trinkets of information, along with great amounts of prestige for the AMP's diplomats - not only had they successfully prevented all-out war, and end the Unanimous Majority Crisis, but they had persuaded another empire to actually join the AMP. Much was learned - including the history of the Legendship (although a secret message delivered from the Hunre Empire provided some conflicting views, along with disturbing information on the Hunre's old plans for galactic conquest). Rallying the taskforce around the Grey Area and Unanimous Majority, the fleet, now assisted with many Hegerglik vessels, proceeded to the territory of the mirror AMP.
=== Contact with the Proclamation ===
It did not take long to arrive at the Mirror AMP. The energy source, a cluster of wormholes, was a major source of power for the 'MAMP', and on arrival the taskforce discovered a swarm of vessels surrounding a massive artificial structure. But when the ambassadors were dispatched, it was discovered that the MAMP was not a peaceful, democratic society - it was instead a rigid theocracy. Nonetheless, contact went ahead, and the two forces met to open peaceful communications and to learn. The Kasha Proclamation, it turned out, was a vast organisation, controlling hundreds of races, and with significant portions of territory, though on the far side from mainstream galactic civilization. Its northernmost borders touched the wild, unexplored territories.
It was expected for peaceful trade to be established, but unfortunately, things were cut short. On the far side of the galaxy a crisis was emerging between the Hunre and Karnasaur empires, threatening usage of a 'Mega UE' - a device capable of obliterating matter for light years, and displacing huge amounts of energy beyond that region. The AMP rallied every ship available to try and negotiate a peaceful end.
=== Detonation ===
However, there was no peace to be negotiated. As the crisis ploughed on, the AMP suffered huge amounts of internal strife, against the slow democracy and many nationalist groups fighting for independence. Huge numbers thronged to vessels, which they hoped they could escape on, to areas unaffected by a possible blast. When the AMP fleet decided the same, they withdrew their fleet, escorting the evacuees to a zone on the northern Galactic Fringe, to establish a colony unblemished by the war.
Meanwhile, the government was falling apart. Riots were tearing cities apart. Contact with starbases and asteroid colonies was inexplicably lost, not to be regained. The Grand Forum on Abrinox was bombarded with missiles, and moments after the President managed to dispatch a message to the Senate, announcing their resignation and the AMP's disbanding, he was killed, along with all his staff.
Only a small core of the most elite were left, trying to negotiate peace, and to become heads of the AMP once it returned from anarchy. The rest of the population either remained on the worlds, or evacuated to the Galactic Fringe, where the fleet was deactivated and the population put into stasis.
Just weeks later, the Mega UE accidently detonated. Both the Hunre and Karnasaur empires were obliterated entirely. The Galactic Senate megastructure was caught in the blast, and annihilated. Huge tracts of space were gone, destroyed. The AMP was in tatters - in fact, it had ceased to exist. But hope was not lost.
=== Collapse and second rise===
The AMP was for the most part located on the very fringe of the Mega UE's blast zone, which obliterated an area nearly ten thousand light years in diameter. With galactic civilization in ruins, much of the population gone, and the government obliterated, the AMP's worlds fell into anarchy. Cities were razed as war broke out between isolated population groups, over resources. Technology regressed; most population groups were pressed into using ancient kinetic weapons and burning wood for power.
The AMP languished for five years; however it was not totally inactive. Some vessels had not reached the Galactic Fringe, mainly those of the taskforce dispatched to the Proclamation. These vessels proceeded to explore the post-UE galaxy, making alliances, trading, and fending off pirates. The Unanimous Majority was the most famous of these. Becoming almost an independent city-state as it surveyed the new galaxy, it finally gave out over the world of Friendship Prime, crashing into the planet.
Like a spell, the fractured and violent gangs that squabbled on the world suddenly laid down their differences as they rushed to aid the vessel and its crew. Though a third of its 960-strong crew had died, it still retained most of its power structure. The captain of the vessel went on to help the planet unite, and repair the Unanimous Majority until it was once again space worthy. After eight years, the AMP rose once more, as the vessel swung between former worlds, reuniting them into a newer, stronger organisation.
=== The Fringe Colonies ===
 
The ghost colony established on the galactic fringe remained dormant for five years, at which point the automatic awakening protocols engaged. The colonists opened their eyes for the first time in half a decade, and slowly began to rebuild. From what observations they could make they thought that the entirety of the AMP had been destroyed, and that they were the fragments that remained. Therefore, they behaved as such. A new Grand Forum was established. New worlds were colonised. New species were brought into the fray of the Association. In four years the single border colony grew to control fourteen worlds, and signed numerous alliances, chief of which were with a fragment of the Heglarean remnant. 
Ten years after the detonation, however, some thought it possible that the AMP might not have been destroyed. The notion grew popular, and finally one of the Constitution-class colonial carrier/cruisers, the Honest Mistake, was dispatched through the remaining wormhole link, along with a significant taskforce. Expecting to find a devastated and weak grouping of worlds they discovered a teeming and powerful Association. The two sides greeted each other with open arms, and in just months the two were formally reunited, with Abrinox the capital once more. 
 
=== New Era ===
 
After the Reunion the Association continued to expand, bringing in dispossessed members of destroyed empires as well as new star-nations too. A huge mapping project was begun, to update the now out-of-date star charts with new data. Science vessels were dispatched to study the Void, the area caused by the detonation of the UE. Ambassadorial ships spread out to locate other empires, and find out what they knew of the galaxy. 
This led to contact with - and the later alliance with - the Mrox Empire. The Mrox were a naturally militant race, but identified that they could not afford to risk war in the resource-depleted, post-apocalyptic galaxy, especially with a power that had grown larger, stronger and more popular than them. Trade agreements were signed, and the two powers made peace. 
At the same time, the AMP returned to the Kasha. Despite their distance from the Void the Kasha Proclamation had suffered its own set of difficulties. Many of the wormholes from their power source had led to the area in the Void, and some of the blast had funneled through, causing damage to their all-important 'Altar' and damaging many of their frontier territories. When offered assistance and trade by the AMP, the Proclamation accepted. 
Following this, the AMP's power and technology bases swelled. The previously small power on the southern fringe of the galaxy grew into one of the foremost players in galactic politics, helped by its populist policies, egalitarian laws, and open and fully negotiable alliance systems. Thirty years after its resurgence it proposed the construction of a new Galactic Council Megastructure, as a sign of the re-establishment of galactic peace. The other members of the 'Big Four' - the Heglareans, Mrox and Kasha Proclamation, hurriedly agreed. It was decided to be situated in the newly recolonised Inner Heglarean Empire, and after a seventy year period of construction (excluding the forty years required to build up the scaffold and logistics to construct such a vast building) the new structure, twice as large its predecessor, was opened as the home of galactic politics. However, following lessons learned the hard way from history, the new council was established to be far less elitist and more just and equal. Nonetheless, similarities were drawn - the religious Kasha replacing the Karnasaurs, the militant Mrox replacing the Hunre, and the Heglareans and AMP more or less swapping in rank.
Meanwhile, the AMP's self-development continued. Several megastructues were built within its own territory or old ones converted. The foremost of these was Gate Prime - or, as it had once been known, the Galactic Council Megastructure.Having suffered massive damage at the time of the UE detonation (now known as 'The Event') the structure had been drifting, unpowered and rusting, throughout the Red Zone - the shell of destructive phenomena at the border of the Void. Upon its rediscovery, it was almost immediately decided to convert the vast derelict into a new staging area for the administration and exploration of territories in proximity to the Void and the Remnant Zone. Fifty years after construction began on the New Megastructure, the conversion of Gate Prime was completed, refitted as a shipyard, fortress and citadel.
Abrinox, the homeworld and capital of the AMP, underwent a similar treatment. As the economy of the area returned to its optimal rate, the entire system became filled with megastructures. Over time, these grew, and began to combine. Slowly, the capital of the Association morphed from a planet to a vast and beautiful disc of technology and life surrounding a star. Slowly, a new age was dawning.
=== The First Galactic Golden Age ===
The galaxy entered a period of relative stability following the establishment of the New Senate. For nearly eight hundred years peace reigned, with disputes settled by a fair and impartial council of representatives.Apart from the chaotic regions of the Scavenger Shores and the Remnant Zone, where Hunre and Karnasaur remnants battled with local backwater civilizations and each other, and the dark depths beyond the Galactic Fringe, war was practically unheard of. It was an era of science. With the Big Four sharing technology and knowledge the galaxy entered a new period of rapid advancement.
The rediscovery and outpacing of the old Karnasaur Empire's technological advancement resulted in the construction of new Ringworlds, only this time with nowhere near as much controversy as their predecessors. Coupled with the arcane and massive star-forging capabilities of the Kasha Proclamation the galaxy became filled with more light - and where it was most needed. Slowly, the Void was refilled, allowing the AMP to surge forward its borders towards the galactic core.
However, this peace was not to last forever. As the Golden Age progressed, the infamous race of cybernetic warriors and occupiers of the Galactic Core, the Grox, began to increase their military power. Although it was not known how, they soon developed a military outclassing even that of the Big Four's navies combined. The Mrox, in particular, felt the pressure. Distant cousins to the Grox, irregular and violent wars continued to burst out throughout the area known as the 'Tension Zone', a fifty-parsec stretch of stellar fields where the borders of the two empires intermingled.
Finally, seven hundred and eighty one years after the dawn of the Galactic Golden Age, war broke out. AMP fleets patrolling the areas where their borders met the Grox's were suddenly overwhelmed and destroyed by swarms of Grox warships thousands-strong. Fortress worlds were overwhelmed by hordes of infection pods, whilst their fleets were torn apart in orbit by the unending and unstoppable streams of Grox warships. In just months, the Grox had expanded their empire by well over five hundred systems, of which one hundred and ninety four had previously belonged to the AMP.
=== The Grand War ===
Slowly, reluctantly, the AMP channeled its bountiful economy towards the production of warships and the training of soldiers. Across the Association empires began to secede, fearing the collapse of their economies and the repurcussions from a war with the Grox - and thanks to the AMP's free and nonrestrictive alliance policies, they were powerless to stop them. They were losing the war on two fronts, and it had barely begun.
It was a similar story for the Heglarean Empire. Although its defences against the Grox had been forged and refined over centuries, resulting in strings of fortress worlds on the border of the Exclusion Zone, their naturally peaceful philosophy and still-reduced economy put them in a poor position to engage in any sort of prolonged warfare, especially against so vicious a foe. Only the Mrox, whose tactics and military mirrored the Grox's, and the Kasha Proclamation, whose military was the only one that stood any chance in fleet combat against the Grox, could cope with the sudden aggression. Unfortunately, they only stood to one side of the Grox - and they had free reign against two weak and unprepared foes on their other flank.
== Ship inventory ==
Though in its early days, the Association controls a number of vessels and has many more on the drawing board.
=== Launched vessels: ===
*5x Negotiator-class carriers
*2x Filibuster-class defence frigates Political Quagmire and Flawed Philosophy
*8x Serram-built Codex-class assault frigates
*37x Nuclear Option-class defence fighters 
*13x Hethra-built Dragon-class fighterbombers
*9x Hethra-built Wyvern-class corvettes
*2x Hethra-built Giant-class destroyers (1 conventional, 1 missile)
*2x Hegerglik-built Yethergraa-class destroyers
*2x Constitution-class colonial carrier/cruiser hybrids, Grey Area and Honest Mistake
*50x Hegerglik-built Sath-class fighters
*50x Hegerglik-built Sookta-class bombers
*12x Hegerglik-built Feththerkree-class corvettes
*5x Hegerglik-built Yaverd-class assault frigates
*1x Hegerglik-built carrier/cruiser hybrid,
*3x Illumination-class science vessels
*Numerous cargo vessels and mining ships
=== Vessels under construction: ===
*Numerous smaller vessels
=== Ship design philosphy ===
The Haisseiss realised that though they would arrive under peaceful circumstances they may not be greeted as such. Consequently, their vessels are designed with minimalist weapon systems but powerful defensive shields. The Negotiator-class carriers carry no weaponry whatsoever, relying on escorting vessels, its high-speed engines, its protective shields, and extremely tough armour to provide defence in case of hostilities.
All ships are built with curving, aesthetic structures. The largest vessels have massive parks and seas built into the hull, protected from space by curving domes and bubbles of transparent metal. These also serve as sustenance for the herbivorous Haisseiss. Haisseiss-built ships are coloured white, with electric blue detailing. Military vessels are equipped with Plasma Projection Arrays (PPAs), curving red blisters built into a protective sheath of grey metal, capable of firing copious amounts of plasma across an entire hemisphere for up to a minute before recharging. Later vessels are planned to be equipped with powerful torpedoes and Pulse Beam Cannons.
Haisseiss have been capable of manipulating gravity to their own ends for a long time; as such their ships are equipped with gravity-plating. They use this to ensure that no area on their vessels go unused, and attacking vessels will be forced to decide which direction is 'up' for an AMP vessel.
The Serram, the first empire incorporated into the AMP, have a simplistic, utilitarian ship designs. Vessels are typically built along a main backbone, with angular modules jutting off this. Combat vessels are built utilising heavy cannons, similar to those used on sea-based cruisers, and other vessels carry a small amount of machine guns for defence against pirates. Serram ships are decorated in brown and black.
Hethra vessels are typically built much larger than necessary, decorated with curving fins and spikes emanating smoothly from the hull. Weapon systems are simplistic; magnetically accelerated cannons (MACs), homing missiles, drone fighters for close in defence, and computer-guided machinegun emplacements on the hull. Hethra decorate their vessels with swathes of ochre-orange between black sections.
Hegerglik vessels are organic in appearance, and typically divided into modular sections, allowing for greater flexibility in role and purpose.The bridge is always located at the front, engines are located on radially-mounted stalks stemming from a central section, and any further required parts are located on the back. Larger Hegerglik vessels have nodes where modules of smaller vessels can be docked. Unlike Serram and Hethra vessels, which tend to use flank-mounted weaponry, Hergerglik ships have heavy weapons clustered around the nose. Secondary guns are mounted in constant, clear lines along the surface, whilst tertiary guns and weapon systems are mounted between them. Weapons typically include pulsar and laser beams, and most vessels carry a spine-mounted supercannon of varying but always immense power for their class. Hegerglik vessels are unique in that whilst the chassis and basic systems and armour are built, the rest is coated in genetically-engineered organic layering, capable of withstanding most kinds of firepower, and regnerating too. Their colours are dark brown and red.
== Spore universe ==
The Association of Minor Powers does not exist in-game; however there is a Haisseiss creature on Sporepedia.
The AMP is a diplomat empire.
Category:Species