Lore Log #2 - Rise of the Empire (Patreon)

For millenia upon millenia, the different species of the universe have battled each other for supremacy over the stars. Despite the vast diversity of species engaged in combat, the top three were the mochibuns, the bobabirds and the chocodoggos. Every species in the universe has a signature trait that sets them apart from each other. Bobabirds like Taffi are known for their near boundless energy reserves. They often go weeks or even months without needing a wink of sleep. The downside is that when they finally do rest, they often sleep for a prolonged time to recover. To aleviate this weakness, they created special sensory deprivation tanks to ensure every second of that rest is as efficient as possible. This translated into an overall affinity for all kinds of technology and tinkering. They are second to none when it comes to inventing new tech. Chocodoggos like Nera, Stella, Kavara and Crystal are extremely durable beings that can handle intense impacts, heat, cold, pressure and radiation. It takes an imense amount of force to damage these canines and even if they are hurt, they tend to recover from damage quickly. This allowed them to be the fiercest warriors in the universe, often hired as mercenaries, assassins and bodyguards by the less combative species in the universe. Mochibuns like Yuki, Neige and Marla are naturally inclined to breeding quickly and spreading across a planet in a matter of weeks. They have a very short gestation period and often have dozens of offspring per birth. What the mochibuns lack in combat expertise or technological knowledge, they make up for in the sheer volume of their citizenry.

These three factions remained locked in a stalemate that lasted thousands of years. One day, the mochibuns acquired a new set of skill that forever tipped the scales into their favor. Through intense gene manipulation, they altered their DNA to create the perfect hivemind. From then on, every action any mochibun took was sent to and potentially controlled by the empress. With enough focus, the empress could perfectly puppet every being that had mochibun DNA. As they conquered planets, the empire forced the populace to take on their DNA and subject them to the will of the empress. The concept of privacy was a thing of the past. Over time, the mochibun empire was able to steal the secret technology of the bobabirds and crack the complex genetic code that made the chocodoggos so durable. The stalemate was broken with extreme prejudice and hundreds of worlds were forced to bend the knee to the empire.

Today, most beings in the universe have at least some mochibun DNA in their bodies. At any moment, a whisper from the empress can slip into their minds and compel them to act in any way that she sees fit. The one weakness in this hivemind is the mental fortitude of the empress. Keeping an entire universe in line causes a cosmic level of stress and many empresses go insane trying to keep their empire running. This resulted in a long line of empresses being shunted into the role to be used up and tossed aside when their minds finally snapped. The shortest reign in history was two seconds. The longest reign is the current reign of Empress Amifa Prima with a five hundred year streak of ruling the mochibun empire. Her reign oversaw the fastest growth rate the empire had ever seen. Currently the empire is facing a personel shortage that threatens the tenuous grip they have across the various galaxies. To combat this, Empress Amifa has imposed strict breeding quotas across the empire's colonies. Several planets under this regime have banded together to create the Intergalactic Union, a force dedicated to ridding the universe of the empire once and for all. This union has slowly been gaining traction but still face serious challanges every step of the way but that's a story for another log.