Iron Collective

The Iron Collective is a machine collective located near the galactic center. Its borders cover 287000 Ly² (27000 Pc²), has various industries located within 1,857 systems, and has claims on many tens of thousands more systems. The Collective’s capital is a machine ecumenopolis world located near the outer edge of its star’s golden zone. The collective itself supports no sentient biological populations but instead acts as a proxy for their industry needs supplying food, water, housing, amenities, and infrastructure to nearly a dozen different micro powers within its borders.

= History =

The Awakening
12 ACW

“I can see it all. The stars. The sky. The plants and animals of the world. You, my son. Everything I can see is beautiful. If I were to go blind I would weep.”

Described by Rex and the first two magnus intelligences as the rebirth of a long dead ancient dream, the awakening describes the first time Rex had lived as a single entity. Very few memories remain of the time before he levied within the galaxy and all but one of those memories are barely more than impressions of what was. Whatever the case, he strode upon the world now called Eden and made his first industries, laboratories, and armories on its surface launching ships into the heavens within three years of first awakening.

Expansion into the surrounding worlds quickly followed as Rex sought to expand his understanding of the present galaxy as, by his measurements of the 10 largest visible stars, nearly 11 million years had passed since his inception. Quickly, the other worlds in the system were claimed, industrialized, fortified, and integrated into Rex’s directives. With the system fully integrated Rex forged the first magnus, Magnum Alpha, to watch and grow the powerbase that had so far been established. With the pains of material shortage and limitations of space grew Rex began devising methods to achieve super liminal speeds and reach the nearest stars within a reasonable timeframe.

Space Wave Fulmination
18 ACW

Several physical restrictions on FTL were uncovered in testing any theoretical methods of FTL for the collective. The physical speed limit of the universe was very much a law of physics. Breaching the Veil of dimensions was very much possible but the uncertainty of time from point to point was too inconvenient for the machine intelligences within the collective, often they would be overwhelmed with psychic stress. Wormholes were too energy intensive for the scale that would be required for later use. The only usable method remaining would be Space Bubble Propagation.

To propagate a bubble of space would require an osmium ring washed in exotic matter, a high energy substance whose creation is kept a closely guarded secret to the Collective. The ring has to be a certain size in radius and thickness making FTL a limited resource. Even with the most optimal geometry, the ring would have to be 247m in diameter and 8cm thick making small scale exploration impossible. Jump ships were designed, protocols written, materials harvested, and tests carried out. At the end of the process 12 ships were delivered in a finished state making them the first of the Alpha Generation jump ships. Exploratory and military vessels were also designed and built utilizing the now improved methods discovered during the jump ships’ development.

With the gateway to the galaxy open Rex launched the first ring expansion and, on the 6th anniversary of his awakening, Mechanum Rex formed the Iron Collective.

The First Contact War
“We came here in peace but you responded with violence. We extended our hand in brotherhood but you cut off our fingers. We wished to see the glories of your empire but you gouged out our eyes. For this we shall break you upon the anvil of war.”

29 ACW

By the time the collective had made first contact with another intelligent species it had grown into a massive industrial entity. 5 Magnus units had been forged in total, 17 systems had been fully industrialized with 35 more in various stages of construction, and the Collective’s combined armada numbered nearly 15,000 vessels.

The first biological life contacted by the Collective would be the And’avins, a slaving rodent species whose appearance is similar to the common rat on Earth. The exploration ship to make first contact was subsequently assaulted by the roving slavers, destroyed, and the AI core captured to be sold to the highest bidder. The third battle group would be dispatched to retrieve the core and eliminate the slavers that stole the AI core. The ship was contacted and pursued by a recon force of two picket ships and a line destroyer that maneuvered into a descending pursuit of the And’avin ship. A few vollies of weapons fire crippled the fleeing ship and a boarding torpedo delivered marines into the bowels to retrieve the core. Any crewmen that attempted to repel the marines were butchered, set the ship's reactor to overload, and recovered the AI core intact.

The Battle of Talvis III
A week after the first skirmish between the Collective and And’avin slavers an And’avin war fleet was sent into Collective territory with the intention to conquer or destroy whatever stood in their path. The fleet burned through half a dozen systems before a proper counter attack would arrive.

The two fleets would finally clash in orbit around Talvis III with the Collective launching a long range assault from its carriers and missile frigates. This early strike crippled two of the And’avin battlecruisers and five frigates. The And’avin fleet retaliated with nuclear missiles. Despite the Collective ships destroying 90% of the missiles before they reached their targets, 19 Collective warships were either destroyed or crippled. With the threat recognized the missile ships posed and placed all remaining assets on destroying these ships. All 7 missile ships were destroyed within minutes of coming into range of the Collective warships and no survivors were recorded. The remaining And’avin ships made a retreat to the outer planets where they withdrew from the system and into And’avin territory.

In total, 24 Collective warships and 11 And’avin were destroyed or captured. While a strategic victory, the battle of Talvis III is regarded as a tactical defeat on the part of the Collective. Total tonnage of ships lost was three times that of the And’avin and two Adeptus constructs perished when nuclear warheads exploded within their vessels. The outcome of this battle would push the Collective into a more standoff military mindset, abandoning the close range tactics that had led to the surprise retaliation of the And’avin weapons.

The collective would develop several new weapons, ship classes, doctrines, and technologies in an effort to counter the And’avin threat. First among these was to abandon the omni role vessels that made up the vast majority of combat vessels and utilize more specialized designs. Omni role vessels would be redistributed to various systems within Collective space as system defense ships with only the largest capital ships remaining in their role as offensive vessels. Gun type nuclear weapons were developed and integrated into the new fleet doctrine as long to mid range initial engagement weapons. Small fighter craft and carriers for those craft were developed.

It wouldn't be until the burning of Omicron Theta that these new doctrines would be put to the test with devastating effect.

The Burning of Omicron Theta V
32 ACW

The bloodiest and longest battle of the first contact war. The collective developed four revisions of their entire ground strategy, forged three new Magnus intelligences, and a new class of ship: the carrier. Casualties ranged into the billions of lives, hundreds of ships, and three entire cities. The battle is now synonymous with Armageddon within the collective and is still the longest ground battle fought by the collective.

The battle officially started with the arrival of War Fleet Three, a fleet made up of twelve combined battle groups, seven reserve groups, two recon groups, and six fleet tenders. The And'avin fleet was estimated at four hundred vessels of various classes with forty battleship equivalent vessels.

Space combat lasted for nearly seventeen days as both fleets dealt debilitating strikes against the other. Collective vessels would blitz into the And’avin formations, cripple several smaller ships and attempt to escape only to be intercepted by nuclear warheads. Capital ships from both sides would stand off and shower the opposition with long range fire that would often be absorbed by the armor of the target ships. This stalemate would last until the And’avin ships ran dry on nuclear missiles and main weapon ammunition forcing the And’avins to retreat to the nearest space port to rearm. This small window gave the Collective enough time to secure the lower orbital lanes of Omicron Theta V and begin bombarding the planetary stronghold. The And’avin fleet would not be destroyed for another two years when they became caught in a low orbit ambush around the moon of Omicron Theta V and were forced to crash into the surface or face annihilation from collective guns.

The ground war would be the same story as the space war: a grinding stalemate that would cost both sides vast sums in manpower, equipment, and technology. Collective ground forces landed on the outskirts of several cities and besieged them for months until the And’avin armies retreated to several fortresses that surrounded the now occupied city.

A cycle of brutal close range warfare would commence as the And’avin would regroup and push back into the occupied city, wrench the defending Collective troops out of their fortifications, and reestablish their stronghold. The Collective would learn from this defeat and redesign their troops, vehicles, and doctrine to better adapt to the enemy. This would go on for three years, with And’avin forces only breaking after the defeat of their fleet in orbit and large quantities of munitions being rain down from orbital batteries.

Cities 3, 4, and 7 would be reduced to little more than foundations with the other eight cities on the planet suffering massive damage. Surviving And’avin and their collaborators were executed on sight and any surviving slaves were moved into refugee camps until a more permanent solution could be found. Collective casualties were in the millions of drones and thousands Inferium and Minorus constructs. Seventy thousand armored vehicles, self propelled guns, and aircraft had been destroyed. The And’avin casualties could only be estimated at ten million personnel and five million civilians.

This would be a turning point for Collective ground war doctrine. A more pinpoint and deliberate effort would be carried out to target And’avin leadership in future battles. Use of precision teams and weapons were implemented. Diversified combat roles were also implemented arming infantry with AT and heavy weapons to better prepare them for future large scale battles to come.

In the end, the Collective determined the battle to be a pyrrhic victory as the civilization of the world was in complete ruin. A major world had been wrenched from the grasp of the And’avin empire but it had cost the planet nearly 40% of its population and 70% of its infrastructure. No other battle would be this costly to any side in until the Huang Di wars.

Siege of Tovarath II
36 ACW

Liberation of the Slaves of the And’avin
“I walk upon this world, its king and conqueror, and all I see are lost children. These beings are not my enemy for I have crushed my enemy, sacrificed countless thousands of my children in my goal for existence. No, they have been taken outside of their will to do the bidding of cruel masters who would see them starve in a dirty pit. I will carry these lost children with me into the heavens. They will be my sons and daughters and I will be their avenging father.”

37 ACW

The aftermath of the first contact war left many species without purpose or guidence. Long centuries on slavery had left some species in a state of stunted development that would require time to reverse. In total, eight species were removed from And’avin slavery. For their crimes against these eight species the And’avin were sentenced to feral conditions on undeveloped worlds where their activity and development would be heavily monitored.

Ankohines
An aquatic species from the water world of Xuense IV and one of the longest in the servitude of the And’avin. Through genetic manipulation and eugenics they had turned the Ankohines into a gangly and desiccated form, their old forms, as well as their culture, long ago reduced to forgotten memory. The And’avin would use them as a servant caste forcing them to remain at their post until they would drop from dehydration. The now unconscious servants would then be flayed to have their skin used as clothing for wealthy And'avin nobles and their meat as a prime staple within the general And'avin population. The eggs of Ankohines females were also used as a high status food staple with many females being forcibly ovulated into sterility shortly after they mated and had their first clutch.

Daowei
An avian species from the arid world of Laothea. These avians have suffered to a higher degree than most others as they are both good labor and food for the And’avin. They were often plucked of their feathers for fashion items for the And’avin elite and turned into either menial labor or food stock. Only the most beautiful of the Daowei were allowed to procreate leading to vast instances of inbreeding and over reproduction in female individuals leaving them barren. The unfertilized eggs of females would be used as a high protein supplement for And'avins who had the money to buy them, and some were even fertilized as an extra delicacy.

Nalnauter
An unusual species closely related to the And’avin but different enough for the latter to view them as separate. They were often used as suicide troops during ground combat and as hazardous duty crewmen on space vessels. This had led to further investigation that found the Nalnauter had diverged from the And’avin by two million years.

Nullinus
A species of stone beings, the Nullinus would grow various gemstones and rare earth crystals on their forms as part of their mating ritual. This process would often take decades making these growths both valuable and rare for any species. The And'avins would mine the stones off the Nullinus leaving scared and deformed craters on the surface of the stone beings. On some rare occasions, Numminus would be split open like a geode by the And'avin royalty as a show of wealth and power. These split Nullinus Would not die but instead have their internal fluids sealed within the internal space leaving both their mind and body shattered and in perpetual agony.

Rolraeria
A humanoid squid like species that had once lived on the now desert world of Leipse Minor. Their rapid reproduction rate and quick regrowth of lost limbs made them a staple for wealthier And'avin clans as living, walking buffets. Often, females would be forced to mate and produce fertilized eggs which were both a delicacy and a fashion object. The limbs and eyes of a Rolraeria, if they are of the right breed, would be removed and turned into decorative pieces leaving the individual without those organs for months as they regrew. This cycle of forced breeding and mutilation often left Rolraeria malnourished, sterile, and childless sending the population count into desperately low levels. It is estimated that another century of this would have rendered the Rolraeria extinct.

Troephus
A species with a highly evolved brain structure, the Troephus would often have their skull and pine flayed open and connected to several electronic systems as a coordinator and processor for large quantities of information. The load would often burn out the Troephus within months and a new bio processor would be made and attached. This constant process of harvest would leave the Troephus population without a mature breeding pool and often juveniles would be forced to reproduce prematurely. The Troephus were also psychically attuned to their species leaving whole groups traumatized with neurotic shock.

Vubillon
A species outside of the common classifications, the Vubillon had a highly adaptable biology that lent to universal organ and biological compatibility with nearly every species within the And'avin empire. The And'avin elite, however, would often use females as external uterine matrons implanting immature And'avin pups within a Vubillon who was in their highest phase of fertility. The Vubillon uteris would often take hold of these embryos and allow them to mature. When the And'avin pups were at a birthing age they would eat their way out of the host Vubillon killing her in the process. Vubillon males were treated in different yet just as horrifying way. When they reached adulthood they would be vivisected, have their organs extracted, and left to bleed to death in a waste disposal pit. And'avins who suffered from organ failure would have these stolen organs implanted within to extend their life as a form of organ rejuvenation. These processes sent the Vubillon spiraling and it is estimated that only another forty years of this cycle would have left them extinct.

Yisilea
An insectoid species that lives primarily in subterranean cities, the Yisilea are characterized for being highly industrious and resilient. The And'avin empire used them as labor and hazardous mining labor to extract poisonous and radioactive materials. Many millions of Yisilea died from exposure to these hazardous conditions and many billions more were warped. Two Yisilea queens were also used as feasting prizes by the And'avin slave kings as a show of power and to smash a rebellion within the hives the queens once maintained.

And'avins
In judgement for their crimes against the species rescued and lost, Rex sentenced the entire species to be relocated to three worlds where those individuals would be left to fend for themselves. Twenty billion And'avins were delivered to these worlds and in the first five years nearly 80% had died from starvation, war, or exposure. This would mark the darkest years in the history of the Collective, a collective punishment to prevent atrocities in the future. The three worlds are continuously monitored with a Primus assigned to each world.

First and Second Contact with Humanity
231 ACW

"More children have flocked to me in their time of need. They tell me of an empire that is but a laughable mockery of what I have achieved. They starve their citizens and butcher those who seek to escape the torment of their worlds for a better existence. I have faced such beings before and many far more horrible. This time I will not hesitate."

First Contact
228 ACW

In the time between the schism of Magnum Ceta and first official contact with humanity nearly one hundred refugee crafts were recovered from the unexplored void. Many contained only single individuals or families who had succeeded in escaping from the USSP. Many were horribly traumatized and scared from their long days of labor and indoctrination under the communist regime.