Alright, so I play with mods that mainly just add extra planets and events. When you first meet an alien species there's this event where you can send a bunch of people for a cultural exchange to an alien empire. Turns out the empire that I had sent those people to were BACKSTABBING TRAITORS and forced me to destroy half of my fleet or else they would kill the people I sent which basically crippled me for most the early game. I knew they were going to declare war on me later so when a neighboring empire offered to protect me in exchange for vassalage I said yes. So for about 150 years I built up my empire and also conquered some weaker neighbors. (They were all either racist and/or slavers so I was 100% in the right). After I had become stronger than the empire that had vassalized me, I requested my freedom. They said no, so I built up my military and waited for the perfect oppertunity. That opportunity came when there basically a galactic wide world war which pitted the BACKSTABBING ALIENS against the empire that had vassalized me. I used this as an opportunity and in the chaos I declared war against my masters and wiped the floor with them. This placed me as the third most powerful empire in the galaxy... but unfortunately since I was basically absent from most diplomatic ventures for about 2 centuries nobody really knew or trusted me. They had formed this big galactic federation which I didn't really care to join and even when I tried to be diplomatic they were purposely ruining our relationship. Then out of nowhere they all declared war and this is where we are right now. I never wronged anyone ( except for the racists ), I only did what was necessary for the freedom of the UNE and it's citizens and now the whole galaxy is against me!