Recaps

The Human Empire secretly turned the Starfish Republic’s Synths against it, then declared war as the Republic was weakened by the War in Heaven and the machine uprising. The Body Battleship led humanity’s invasion, conquering Starfish territory and assimilating its colonies as it advanced toward the Homeworld.

• The joint pirate fleet destroyed the Chosen defenders, ravaged the Isomer Cluster, and later escaped through Subspace before Captain Nais betrayed its allies and Xi Yan’s forces trapped them.
• The Starfish Republic reclaimed the Isomer Cluster and destroyed the Chosen, while Xi Yan kept the Human Empire neutral in the War in Heaven and prepared to profit from both sides.
• The Starfish founded the Non-Aligned Organization, but its war against the Awakened Empires brought Colossus strikes, including the destruction of Europa Seven.
• Xi Yan discovered and secretly assimilated a dormant Contingency world, then used its technology to infiltrate the Starfish Republic’s Synths with a ghost signal.
• The Synths rebelled, formed the Synth Free Star System Alliance, and seized Starfish colonies as the Republic accused Xi Yan and recalled its fleets from the northern war.
• The Awakened Empires invaded Starfish territory and inflicted heavy losses, prompting Xi Yan to declare total war and mobilize the Human Empire’s forces.
• The Body Battleship entered Starfish territory, manufactured nanite fleets, and captured the western star region as nanite storms assimilated its worlds and inhabitants.
• The Body Battleship advanced toward the Starfish Homeworld, where the Starfish assembled their remaining fleet to face it.

Xi Yan’s empire conquered the Sea of Stars and faced the Swarm, the Contingency, and Cetana’s return. After learning the Hunters had created the Contingency and that the End of the Cycle had freed Cetana, Xi Yan prepared to continue fighting while the Shaper of Clay refused to intervene.

• The Human Empire destroyed the Starfish Homeworld, assimilated its inhabitants, and compelled the neutral nations to surrender, making Xi Yan hegemon of the Sea of Stars.
• The Starfish Vice President led the surviving fleet to the Edge-of-the-Galaxy Sentinel, where the Starfish settled an asteroid habitat before the Human Empire destroyed them and discovered a warning from beyond the galaxy.
• Xi Yan prepared the galaxy for the Contingency and the Soryn Parasites, while the Contingency revealed its machine worlds and the Swarm invaded the Milky Way.
• Xi Yan allied with Machine Dad and the Synthetic Continuity to attack the Contingency, while the Synthetic Continuity became the Synth Interstellar Guardians and the Synthetic Queen emerged against the Rixi Reconquest Empire.
• The captured Soryn Parasite queen told Xi Yan that the Hunters had destroyed other galaxies, created the Contingency, and sought something in the Galactic Core.
• Cybrex Beta returned to fight the Contingency, while Cetana’s fleet destroyed the Rixi Reconquest Empire and its colonies surrendered to Xi Yan.
• Xi Yan negotiated with Cetana, who agreed to help defeat the calamities and rewarded his empire with ancient technology, while the Heavenly People awakened and vowed to destroy her.
• The Shaper of Clay told Xi Yan that the End of the Cycle had forced it to release the Synthetic Queen, revealed that it had preserved Zarqlan’s soul, and refused to intervene further.

Xi Yan uncovered the ancient plan to raise the universe into a higher dimension and united the galaxy to carry it out. As the Aetherophasic Engine warmed up, the Realm Breakers and Path Divergers invaded, leaving Xi Yan to prepare the Empire’s defense.

• Xi Yan revived Zarqlan, who met Cetana and persuaded her to stop contacting the empires and attack other calamities.
• Xi Yan traveled through the wormhole to Azilash, where Jadiga granted him access to the Heavenly People’s records and revealed his role in the ascension plan.
• Xi Yan learned that humanity had repeatedly tried to preserve consciousness and raise the universe into a higher dimension, and he chose to continue the plan with Jadiga’s help.
• Xi Yan contacted the returning Expeditionary Fleet, took control of the Eternal Throne, and revealed the modified Aetherophasic Engine that could draw higher-dimensional power into the Galactic Center Black Hole.
• Xi Yan united the interstellar civilizations as the Sea of Stars Empire, reclaimed authority for the Human Empire, and launched the Galactic Jade Shattering Plan to delay the extradimensional invaders.
• The Contingency was destroyed, and the Expeditionary Force returned with the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapons and Horizon Needle as the Aetherophasic Engine began warming up.
• The Realm Breakers invaded through an interdimensional portal, and Xi Yan’s fleets and allied empires suffered heavy losses while temporarily holding them back.
• The Path Divergers entered the southern Milky Way, Xi Yan directed both extradimensional factions toward each other, and Jadiga warned that they would seek the Aetherophasic Engine.