textfiles/stories/SRE/sre_sei.txt

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                            G  a  l  a  x  y    S  e  i

                             -={[ SRE: Galaxy Sei ]}=-






-=* Well, as promised, here is SRE: Galaxy Sei. Here we chronicle
Ultra's adventures in the Sei Galaxy before he migrated to the Sree
Galaxy. This story is based upon a --long-- game of SEE (SRE's ancestor)
on Flash BBS. Following the story (In the Epilogue) is a list of who was
who in the real-life game. The SRE Text Series continues with this epic
adventure.... *=-


---\ The Story

Vafan Puttana had at least 30 years under his belt. The Sei Galaxy had
had it's share of wars. And now it was at peace. It delighted it his
heart to see the young men and women becoming emperors and empresses of
their own empires. His time would be over soon, he knew. But it didn't
change the feeling of joy he had.

Admiral Renoi of Vafan Puttana's Empire was one such young man. He'd
risen through the ranks of the Armada quickly, becoming the youngest
member of the Admiralty ever. And now he'd given up that honor to become
an emperor. It'd cost him his entire life savings to finance it. But he
was finding it to be an enjoyable experience, one he'd wished he'd had
before.

---\ Chapter 2

Mikal R'binsn had been Renoi's aid throughout his career. Now that Renoi
was off to establish himself as an emperor, Mikal had little choice but
to do the same. And it wasn't an easy thing to do, either. Mikal had
faced many hardships. Revolts by his people, loss in production from ore
mining, and other disasters. It was hard. Very hard.

Chronos was an old friend of Vafan's. He'd been an emperor almost as
long as Vafan, and nowadays such things were easy for him; a way of
life. He had to take Admiral Renoi under his wing, and teach him the
ropes. Renoi knew everything about directing heavy cruisers and fighters
into battle, but he knew not one single thing about governing an empire.
Chronos would make Renoi into a fine leader. Chronos' real name was
Platinum, but he'd changed it when he visited Sei. Chronos orignally
came from a different Galaxy, one named Sree. But one day, while
exploring, he'd made an important discovery: Other Galaxies existed!
He'd shared the secret with noone in the Sree Galaxy, and had popped
into Sei for a chance to examine their culture. He found it so
interesting, he'd spent his last 30 years in it, as an emperor.

---\ Chapter 3

Renoi was finding himself to be quite popular with his citizens. He was
gaining 45 million citizens a month, quite a hefty sum. He was
increasing his planetary total fast. Soon he'd reach the barrier; the
spot where one has a limit on the planets per year purchased. No bother.
Chronos was teaching Renoi as fast as he could. Renoi would suck it up
fast, and remember it all. Renoi was priding himself at having
incredible potential.

Vafan Puttana looked at the Galaxy he'd helped civilize. There were more
new empires being started than ever before. Admiral Renoi, once his best
military commander, had created a very prosperous realm. Mikal R'binsn
had established himself an empire that was growing well also. Zexl had
begun his empirial quest, and was started on the right track. Of all the
Sei empires, none were in turmoil. The citizens seemed to be enjoying
their rulers, and the wealth they were being given. Everything was good.

---\ Chapter 4

Renoi's empire had hit the barrier, and was eligible to attack other
empires. In the Sei Galaxy, there had been lots of small wars. But those
all came before the Empirial system was created. No emperor had yet made
a move to attack another empire. Renoi's stellar rise in power left him
with the conclusion that he might be unstoppable. So, he began stocking
his military for a fleet storming that would take the other empires by
shock and surprise.

It seemed inevitable. Pulsator had been Vafan Puttana's chief economic
advisor. And now he'd resigned his commision, and begun an empire with
his life's savings. He had seen the prosperity of other emperors that
had been tied with Vafan. Leading an empire was something new to this
Galaxy. Vafan had been the supreme ruler. And then he started the
Empirial System. Pulsator wanted to win.

---\ Chapter 5

It was swift. With one deft move, Admiral Renoi had overrun Zexl's
empire. Once Zexl was imprisoned, Renoi's new estate totaled over 700
planets. It only seemed natural that a born military commander, a
'quarterdeck breed,' as they called them, could lead such a successful
mission. And the beauty of it was that noone seemed to dispute his
actions. He'd heard nothing from Puttana, and his citizens certainly
didn't mind. More planets meant more cash for them. Renoi was planning a
new campaign now...

Chronos was mildly surprised. When Vafan had devised the Empirial
System, he'd anticipated wars between empires. But Chronos was -sure-
Vafan had not expected the wars to start this soon. Renoi had invaded
Zexl's empire, and defeated him by a vast margin. The Admiral needed to
calm down his desire to be a better ruler. Chronos' lessons with Renoi
had obviously sparked a desire that was now unquenchable. It always
happened sooner or later; In Renoi's case it had been sooner. In
Chronos' original Galaxy, wars abounded aplenty. Never before had
Chronos met such a dedicated individual as Renoi. He had more potential
than any other person around. Now Chronos needed to curb his desire to
conquer.

R'Binsn was amazed, if anything. Mikal didn't know what to do in
response to his once-leader's actions. Really there was nothing wrong
with what Admiral Renoi did. It was just surprising he would delve into
military matters so soon. Mikal wondered what was going on in the
Admiral's head right now....

---\ Chapter 6

Renoi's possessions kept increasing. If he was sure of anything now, it
was that he was invincible. His empire was almost as large as Vafan
Puttana's. If Renoi could keep growing at this pace, his power would
exceed that of any other emperor in the Sei Galaxy. The threshold of his
plans contained a battle plan that included the invasion of Puttana's
empirial realm.

Zexl was quite upset over the entire ordeal. Admiral Renoi seemed to be
unstoppable, and Zexl could do nothing to prevent his empire from being
invaded again. His people were very angered, his economy was shot, and
his military commanders couldn't keep his armies in line. Ore production
was almost zero, and all money from his empire was worth virtually
nothing to the economies in the rest of the Galaxy. Zexl had spent his
entire life's savings to enter the Empirial System. He had been winning
for a while, making more money than he'd ever dreamed possible. And then
-this- disaster. Now he his net worth was zero. Zero. Zero! And he
couldn't make it any better, either... What could he do?

Loans were out of the question. Vafan, after seeing what growth was
possible through Renoi, declined to loan the hefty sum of 100 million
credits to Zexl. Vafan barely made that much money a year; he had no
doubt Admiral Renoi made much more. If Vafan transferred all his
investments into wealth creation, perhaps he could grow as fast as Renoi
was. He decided to tighten the military budget and widen the planetary
spending funds. His heart went out to Zexl, but for Vafan Puttana to
stay alive he simply couldn't do it.

---\ Chapter 7

R'Binsn kept on growing. His growth was small, compared to Renoi, but
steady. He had no heart for military matters. He simply wanted to
succeed. And Renoi was becoming more self-centered every day, which was
almost more than R'Binsn could take. He would have to begin stocking up
on military surplus.

Pulsator decided to take advantage of a helpful situation. Admiral Renoi
had decimated Zexl, and now Zexl's planets were up for grabs. Pulsator
knew his armada could easily overtake Zexl's underdefended empire.
Perhaps Pulsator could begin a stellar rise to power, like Renoi did. It
all depended on how he played his cards...

It was finally decided. Renoi's fleets would penetrate Vafan Puttana's
empire in only a few days. Renoi was sure that he would be victorious,
cart out many planets, and establish an undefeatble empire. The plan
couldn't fail, and Renoi would be lord of the Galaxy because noone could
stop him. As soon as he conquered Puttana, he would invade all the other
empires to make them unstable. Once they were all unstable, they would
have to rely on him for money and protection. After this happened, Renoi
would force them to abdicate their planets, he would seize them, and
assassinate the emperors. Simple plan that couldn't go wrong, he
thought.

---\ Chapter 8

"That bumbling FOOL," yelled Vafan Puttana. He stormed through his
quarters like a madman. "Lord Puttana, he didn't win. He didn't take
-any- of our planets," said an aide, quietly. "No, that may be so. But
he has DEVESTATED my realm! I want you to convert all money to military
financing. Not a single credit shall go to anything else. I want you to
construct a fleet so large, Renoi won't know what hit him," Vafan
ordered. The aide turned on his heel and left. Vafan stared out the
vidport looking at the stars. Renoi would pay for this act of war. It
was different for him to try to rise in power, but Vafan had made Renoi
what he was! Renoi had been Puttana's chief military consultant, the man
who won battles for him! How could Renoi forget the kindness Vafan
Puttana had shown him? Well, it no longer mattered. Within a few days,
Renoi would be blasted out of the Galaxy...

---\ Chapter 9

Admiral Renoi, victor of so many countless battles had been humiliated.
He had led a widely unsuccessful campaign into Puttana's empire, and
then had been fiercely retaliated against. He had lost over 200 planets
in that one confrontation alone. It seemed his rise to power had taken a
steep nosedive. He decided to press on, and see if his military
commanders could come up with a possible solution to this dilemma.

Chronos was very disappointed. He had expected more from Renoi, but he
had stooped himself into a situation like -this-. Admiral Renoi
shouldn't have let his success go to his head. Now Chronos would have to
begin his sessions with Renoi once again, and attempt to rekindle the
fire to be a good ruler, once again.

Mikal was astounded. His once-leader, Admiral Renoi, had attempted to
invade Mikal's other once-leader, Vafan Puttana. With all R'Binsn's
knowledge of Renoi's cunning and skill, he would have never guessed the
Admiral would go so far. It seemed that Puttana hadn't either, because
he had unleashed a counterattack so vicious that Renoi's empire was
reduced in size to be as small as Zexl's empire. Mikal R'Binsn pledged
not to get caught in the middle of what was sure to become a very large
military engagement.

---\ Chapter 10

Renoi just didn't know when to stop. Vafan had ordered his army to
plunge, once again, deep into Admiral Renoi's home frontier. And they
did, extending Vafan Puttana's borders to include the Great Planetary
Belt, a long group of planets that Renoi had treasured, and prided
himself on owning. Perhaps -this- takeover would convince him
retaliation was futile. If Renoi persisted, Vafan Puttana would
oblierate him from the Galaxy.

The Belt, darn it, the BELT! Admiral Renoi was losing, and losing big
time. He had absolutely nowhere to turn, and no alternatives to
consider. He couldn't surreneder; no, to do that would be to admit
failure. After all, this was ADMIRAL RENOI, The Great, The Hero, The
Champion! He couldn't possibly admit his first defeat. Never. No, he
would find a way. As he'd done so often before, he WOULD find a way. He
had to. If he didn't, he knew he was as good as gone.

Chronos had advised Renoi once again. He'd let Renoi know the reason
he'd failed; he'd made it perfectly clear. Renoi admitted he was
perfectly wrong, and that he had gone too far. Chronos knew that Admiral
Renoi was taking a step in the right direction, but he didn't know if
Renoi could keep his feet on the right path..

---\ Chapter 11

Admiral Renoi had sent a communique to Vafan Puttana telling him he
surrendered and was willing to truce. Puttana had returned the message,
along with another, congratulating Renoi for admitting defeat early on,
rather than self-destructing.

Pulsator, sensing the de-armament, knew when to stop. He offered defense
pacts to Admiral Renoi and to Mikal R'binsn. He wanted to be in a
powerful position if and when more attacks broke out. By creating a
small alliance of three empires, he knew he would be strong.

---\ Chapter 12

Renoi's piecemeal empire was slowly coming back into order. His people
were no longer divided. He had their full support, according to the
latest polls. His military, weak as it was, had good morale. That was
important. Chronos insisted that Renoi give up hopes or aspirations of
ever defeating Vafan Puttana. Such thoughts were suicide, he'd said.
Sozj was beginning to agree.

What to do? What to do, indeed! R'binsn was confused now. Admiral Renoi
had called off all his attacks, drawn his entire military back, and
surrendered and truced with Puttana. Mikal was unsure of what to do
next. This whole idea of being an emperor was too difficult for him. It
was only because Sozj had become an emperor had R'binsn done the same.
And now; what was there left to do? To grow? How boring! The life of an
emperor, a successful one at that, was beginning to be dreary...

---\ Chapter 13

Pulsator and Admiral Renoi began trading heavily. The maker of carriers
in Renoi's empire, Kolden Spacecraft, was selling them at unbelievably
low prices due to Renoi's small size. So Pulsator was buying large
quantities, selling them at the higher prices demanded in his empire,
and using the money to buy more. This process was very complete. With
the newfound source of wealth, even if it didn't last long, gave both
enough of a chance at defeating Puttana, to consider new battle plans.

Zexl was tired of this. He had spent his life savings on becoming an
emperor. All forty-seven years worth of his savings. And Vafan Puttana
still refused to aid him. Even if Puttana was not a dictator, Zexl
wanted a powerful emperor who could aid him. And not only him, but the
other ailing emperors in the Sei Galaxy. There were so many! The series
of battles that had broken out had left everyone except Puttana,
Chronos, and R'binsn in bad shape. And Zexl intended to do something
about it.

---\ Chapter 14

"Six-Star Admiral Sozj Renoi formally requests your membership in the
Thunder Alliance, as of this date," read the message. Mikal R'binsn was
sorely tempted to join. His mentor had found a way to get lots of money.
And now Admiral Renoi was much more powerful than ever before. If
R'binsn, Chronos, and Renoi all combined their forces, taking Vafan
Puttana out of commision wouldn't be very hard. Mikal signed his name to
the document and had a courier relay it to Renoi...

It almost seemed too quiet. Sozj had rejected Chronos' advice. Well, not
flat-out rejection, but still, refused to cease his take-over plan.
Chronos now realized that Renoi was one of a special breed. The kind of
person who set his sights on what he wanted, and would do all it took to
get it. Unfortunately, that kind of zeal would probably get Renoi
killed. Puttana had been merciful once. Chronos knew Vafan well enough
to realize more mercy was out of the question. All Chronos could do was
to aid his young friend.

Vafan Puttana was very happy. The Sei Galaxy which he had unified, was
finally at peace. Harmony. Puttana was glad to see that Sozj Renoi had
left his ambitions behind. It was such a shame that a gifted man like
Renoi would waste his time even TRYING to take Puttana over. And Puttana
had only one concern; all the poor emperors were asking for aid. Vafan
had worked too hard to gain his original position to start giving
hand-me-outs. The answer, of course, would have to be no.

---\ Chapter 15

The Thunder Alliance had been renamed. It was now the Thunder
Three-Alliance, or Triliance for short. Together, all three emperors
were working on strategies. Pulsator had taken command of the finances
involved in the planned war. R'binsn had taken charge of holding the
collective offensive forces of the Triliance. And Renoi had taken the
position of Triliance Commander, Head of Triliance Forces. Together they
were going to destroy Puttana.

"Damn it! Mikal, have you heard?" demanded Renoi. "What, Sozj? What?"
replied R'binsn. "One of Puttana's agents has discovered our plot.
Puttana will know within two or three days! There's not enough time to
pull this thing off. We've got to cancel," said Renoi. R'binsn pulled in
a breath. "No," he said, a change taking place in his mind. "No, we
won't let this stop us. We WILL invade Puttana's empire, Sozj," he
almost yelled. Renoi looked frightened. "Mikal, we can't. DOn't you
understand? There IS NO time left! We're goners!" Renoi yelled. "Be
quiet! We'll invade Puttana, do you hear me? If YOU don't give the
order, I WILL. Remember who has the Triliance's forces," reminded
R'binsn. Renoi nodded his reply and shut off the transmission.

It didn't take long. The Thunder Triliance Forces invaded Vafan
Puttana's forces and defeated his navy. The battle was long, but it was
soon apparent that the Triliance had been victorious. Had it not been
for R'binsn, the invasion would've never happened.

---\ Chapter 16

"Sozj, I have terrible news," said Chronos. Sozj looked at his wise old
friend. "What?" he asked. "Puttana, while defeated, is still in power. I
happen to know that none of the other emperors want you in power.
They've united against you," informed Chronos. Damn. "And if they
attacked.... They'd win. The Triliance Forces were severely depleted by
invading Puttana's empire. What can we do?" asked Renoi. "Leave," said
Chronos, forcefully. "Noone knows this except me; and now I'm telling
you. Sei Galaxy is not alone. There are countless other Galaxies in this
vast Universe. There is another Galaxy nearby named Sree. It has been in
existence for thousands of years; I came from there. You can go there
and use your skill to conquer it. But you can't stay here. You'll be
killed," explained Chronos. It was a tough decision. Form tghe
beginning, Admiral Renoi had suspected something like this would happen.
Even though Puttana had his faults, he was more popular than Renoi.
"I'll go. But R'binsn and Pulsator will have to come with me. Tell me
how to get to Sree," replied Renoi.

The three friends and allies left, fugitives from Vafan Puttana's
restored empire. Puttana had not only come into power, the other
emperors officially declared him to be the 'Solar Master' of the Sei
Galaxy. Renoi knew that he might be found out some day. But had to hope
that he and his friends would do well in this 'Sree Galaxy.'

---\ Epilogue /---

The three WOULD go on to become a dominant force at Sree. R'binsn found
his call in life. He and Renoi became closer than ever, and partners in
their attacks. Pulsator faded from attacking and battle; he developed
into the supreme informant of Sree. He knew all that happened, when it
happened. The three had to change their names, of course. Admiral Sozj
Renoi became Ultra. Mikal R'binsn changed his name to Elite. And,
finally, Pulsator decided to call himself BountyHunter. Their
adventures, as they soon discovered, were just beginning....



---\ Conclusion

Here's a list of all the names and places and what they represent in
real life.

Admiral Sozj Renoi-     Admiral Renaud 
Mikal R'binsn-          Michael Robinson (The Masked Bunny) 
Pulsator-               Himself 
Vafan Puttana-          Va Fan Culo Puttana 
Chronos-                Himself

The name 'Sei' comes from SEE (Space Empire Elite), the software this
epic game was played on. The name 'Sree' comes from SRE, the name of the
popular software on which the SRE Text Series is based.

This game was played in 1992, on Flash BBS. It was the first game I ever
played, of the SEE/SRE type. It seemed natural for me to create this
story, with the mention I made of the Sei Galaxy in SRE 1. I am not sure
whether or not to make another adventure, explaing Puttana's further
adventures as SOlar Master... Maybe I will.. Until next time, have fun
and stay cool!


-= Josh  Renaud =- The Author