Part 72: 2100-2104 - First steps into space.
Space is large, our scientists tell us that pared down to the systems of interest, we are looking at 700 systems.
To make things clear, I'm using the Extended Universe mod, which adds more alien races, a different UI and generally adds more options.
We are Ogoonu, our fairly elected leader, Shaft Ogoonu, is ready to lead us into space.
Okay, I may have done a little modding here....
The Ghanan Empire has managed to maintain its democratic roots through the dark times.
We can only suspect at what else waits for us out there, what alien races will be seen. All of Ghana remembers the old Star Trek series, with James T Ogoonu exploring the galaxy and having sex with numerous sexy alien space babes.
We shall go into space, to spread Ghana across the Galaxy.
Ghana is a moon of a gas giant. (Its amazing people didn't cotton on things were wrong sooner. We really were dumb in the middle ages!) the 3.2 billion people clamour to explore the solar system.
We have called our system Sol, for want of a better name. And it contains six planets and associated moons.
The first two planets could support human life, and the second planet from the sun, which has been named Efuipzeymo, after the scientists wife, seems to have some form of derelict space craft orbiting it. The third is a gas giant with two moons.
The final two planets are frozen gas giants.
The plague and centuries of borderline interbreeding has left all the Ogoonu with rugged good looks and a slight similarity of features. We have an Ambassidor and two Intelligence agents, but both are untested. Shaft of course gives a population growth bonus.
I swear to all the gods that this is what the game randomly gave me! I can't even switch bloody publishers without my RNG getting in on the joke!
Our scientists are at work. We already have the technology to build a number of inter-system craft, but we are now working on a way of moving many people around, as well as better ways of collecting energy and missiles, to shoot out inevitable enemies.
We begin construction of the first space station – The Wellspring – small for now, but we shall expand it as necessary.
We design our first spacecraft – the Voyer Class, an exploration ships designed to scout the rest of our system.
We also begin work on a new research station and two huge construction ships to allow us to exploit the galaxy.
A galaxy we seem firmly in the centre of. (For Distant Worlds newbies, every dot on that map is an explorable system – 700 in total.)
First contact is made. Two alien ships jump into near orbit of Ghana. They call themselves the Sol Marauders, and they do not come in peace. They wear thick armour when we see them, and demand a monthly tithe to not attack. With no weapons or other ways to defend us, we agree.
This payment is not enough to stop them landing troops though! They begin to raid major cities across the globe.
They then strike at our under construction space port!
Meanwhile, troops move into action to defeat the pirates. We fend off the raid, but cannot do anything to save either the space port or the research station!
We try to rebuild the station, but it is destroyed before it is halfway done!
We off double to protection money and the ships stop firing. Our scientists think they have 14 ships, and have a colony nearby – maybe even in the Sol system!
The pirates take up orbital positions around Ghana, but this time, we are able to complete the starport. The Wellspring-2 is now ordered to build two Voyeur class ships.
We do not have the shields that the enemy ships display, nor can we even fit effective armour to our vessels, but the Virulence class escorts are Ghana's first warships. The crews will have to be brave men, as these things are cheap and will die in numbers.
The Extravagant Starfire, our first exploration ship is completed.
This is quickly followed by the first Virulence. At fire-power 16, these ships are massively out-gunned by the fire-power 77 Pirates.
The Extravagant Starfire is given her mission – the abandoned ship orbiting the second world on the system may be key to turning this situation around. The crew are ordered to board her and see if she can be reactivated.
The sensors on the scout ship detect another alien race. The IFF reads the ship as belonging to a group known as “The Atuuko Bandits” - so we are not expecting them to be peaceful!
The Sol Marauders don't seem to like them as well, as they once again demonstrate FTL travel and quickly destroy this interloper.
Our construction ships are completed, and one moves to Sol 3, the gas giant we orbit and begins to construct a mining base.
We detect yet more pirates, these call themselves Sol Industries – how in the darkest depths of the well did we not detect these numerous alien races? Have they been ignoring us for the last two thousand years?
We finish the replacement research station.
Soon after, the civilian economy finishes its first mining station. They have already commissioned several ships to deliver the precious gases to Ghana.
The civilians also petition the government to allow the pirates who have not yet shown hostile intent towards us smuggle in much needed supplies.
As soon as we agree, that number of non violent pirates drops, as the Atuuko Bandits attack the new gas mining station, along with both of our construction ships.
They steal nearly a thousand credits worth of goods from the station before destroying it and then turning on the approaching Virulence escorts.
They blast one of the escorts and then jump away.
We finish our energy collection research and focus on shields – these are obviously going to be very important.
Another alien vessel is discovered in our system – this one at least does not seem to be hostile, in fact, it claims to be a trader!
Soon after, the world is thrown into panic once more as Sol Industries ships appear over Ghana!
The Wellspring-2 is annihilated, as is the research station and most of the civilian fleet in orbit over the planet. One of our escorts is boarded and captured.
Having destroyed our infrastructure, they leave, and a single Sol Marauder ship jumps in an takes the Virulence for themselves – she is a wreak, but this seems to be more about face than anything else.
After a long journey, the Extravagant Starfire reaches Efuipzeymo, and discovers some ancient ruins.
Here we discover an data store that may well allow us to develop our own FTL travel!
We offer the two other pirate factions blood money. Maybe Wellspring-3 will last longer.
We finish our research into shields. We begin work on warp precursor technology, and soon after, the Wellspring-3 is completed.
We begin to see many Alien transports arrive, but they refuse to tell us where they came from – we are not even allowed to see the crews.
We design the Python class frigate – this is still a small ship, but with 32 fire-power and 200 shield power, two of these may be able to stand against a pirate ship. They also will not bankrupt us!
A new captain joins our forces to command the three new vessels we ordered. He is as yet untested, but we have faith in him.
We rebuild the mining station over Sol 3, and the civilians begin to move mining ships to Sol 2 – the journey takes several months there and back again, but their cargos make it worthwhile.
Wellspring-3 becomes a hub for alien ships supplying Ghana with materials she cannot produce herself, and we have a major breakthrough in the transport research.
This soon finishes, and we begin to research colonisation – we have two worlds in the system that may support life, and we want to spread Ogoonus to them as quickly as possible!
The weapons research teams modify our missile systems to work in space, and then begin work on armour to try and keep our brave boys and girls in the navy alive.
This first session in space ends, and our scientists make a breakthrough – scanning the alien ships around our world helps unlock the secrets of lightweight but tough armour for spacecraft.
This is a good introduction to age of Shadows Distant worlds – getting murdered by pirates until you can shoot back.