Part 205: Evidence

Evidence (22:39)





Umm ... unlike in the Prologue, all our ships are still in subspace or whatever. We don't have to take evasive action, because technically none of us are even here yet. We're all still on the left-hand taskbar.







Gotta say one thing for us; we are apparently really good at simulations.




Introducing Benign Particulate, the transparent spiritual successor to Anti-Creeper. It's even the same color. To be fair, AC was a really good idea so this doesn't really bother me, but I find it amusing how it's just basically a direct feature port from the previous titles.







How does she know this then? I'm calling hogwash.




I'm not sure I buy this, but it would be interesting if another friendly faction did show up.







So we have a defensive plasma circle in the middle, surrounded by enemy emitters. Nearby tech on various islands, and more energy sources between us and the particulate.




Initial energy source has five instead of the typical three income, and I go about snagging energy crystals while the particulate approaches. There's a string of it coming from the southeast, that's new. The two benign emitters are producing a goodly amount it seems.




Soon I feel compelled to build up the fleet earlier than I would like. We have incoming. Lots of incoming. Our storage is at 600 and falling here. At the top can be seen the usual mutual annihilation society forming with the two brands of particulate.




After snagging the closest ship schematic.




It's a conspiracy!! Following the thread here, what corporation built the benign emitters then ... and why ... and what happened to them?

Too many questions.




Stepping beyond his station once again, Ogun could care less about any of that and is just glad to have a new toy.




Introducing the very descriptively-named Grabber. I didn't tell it to send the blue particulate to the right, it just did it. It would take me a bit to figure out that basically they grab any benign particles in a modest range around them, and send them in whatever direction the Grabber is pointing. In this case, I happened to build the ship in this location so there was nothing strategic about the direction here.




The next schematic we get to.







Takes me a bit to get it adjusted - I find the 'click-and-drag' method to work the best, and after while I discover that 'choking up' by dragging the cursor away from the Grabber towards the target makes it easier to control - but I eventually get a steady stream sent out towards the southeast emitter.

I didn't notice for a while that the particulate is actually creating plasma trails, which is interesting. At any rate, this gives us one less direction that requires defense.




From the island to the north. A preview of coming attractions, perhaps? I'm having issues with having overbuilt again - we still only have one energy source and the storage is spent. Basically I think I was supposed to start miring sooner ... but I'm finally doing it here.




The defensive perimeter isn't exactly secure.




Once I get a couple more omnis up and stop building like a drunken Associate the energy stabilizes ... and here we have it appears another grabber and the ever-important Info Cache.










Uhm .... ok so we are looking for specific measurable signatures of the origin world? And we know about such things in that level of detail how? I officially don't like these people I'm working for. I should have stayed on a freaking freighter or patrol craft on Earth (or wherever home is). It's also particularly delicious that they complain about GalCorp hiding things from them when they don't let their own fleet commander know what the french toast is going on.

These people deserve to fail.




Wait just a minute. I'm sorry to keep doing this in a sense, but we came all the way out here looking for something we had no real evidence even exists?

Where is the COMMIT IMMEDIATE MUTINY button?







No, we most definitely DID NOT ALL KNOW THE RISKS. I didn't know the risks, for one. Also, 'charging forward with all our might?' What did the other corps do, play tiddlywinks and go on a sight-seeing tour?

I'm with Amicus on this, but I'm also not certain the Particulate are a greater threat than some of our own directors.










Two grabbers, two benign emitters. I'm sure that's just a fortuitious coincidence. I send this one off to the northwest, to oppose the emitter that is sending the bound clumps of particulate. It seems the greatest remaining threat. Also, the one in the southwest seems content to form a defensive belt and not come after us.

After nine minutes in this mission, I finally feel prepared to go on the attack. We easily destroy the southeast emitter, the first one I sent the benign particulate after.




I then switch the flow and go after the other one on that side. As you can see here I'm keeping most of our ships in defense, but we have enough to take care of business here as it seems this isn't a particularly threatening area. I do soon add a couple more ships to the attack though.




Here's a good view of the benign particulate plowing through enemy plasma and defenses. Once our fleet joins in the fun, progress accelerates.




Further on, the enemy tries a counterattack but our steady stream of blue goodness keeps them at bay.




I spend a bit here at the final quadrant pounding their perimeter with all my ships, including both particulate streams. It doesn't take long to clear the way.







It did what? To who?? The nature of the threat is becoming more clear, but it's driving me insane the way they keep casually dropping things into conversation that I did not have the first foggy notion about.




I'd like to know this fabrication of history, since I don't know diddly squat about the just-mentioned Precursors.










I can't take this anymore. How could you hold the great House Abraxis in high regard, if all you know of them is childhood stories!?!? If Amicus really is a 'conspiracy nut', then that means he's probably the sanest director.







Well at least we got grabbers and benign particulate here, along with more omnis and another cruiser. Nice if predictable addition to the gameplay. Over 6k benign particles were destroyed, 7K+ on the red side. This was definitely the most violent encounter yet seen.




Our hint about the next step of the journey is that we have a new collectible, those small orangish things. It also looks, if you can see it, as if we now have bound benign particulate - that'd be an upgrade as well.