Part 33: Session 14: Enforced Reconciliation

Xeno Relations Board

The spy network regarding the Torians shall be maximized as soon as possible. Also, a lend-lease plan shall be implemented regarding minor civilizations, whereby we shall sell certain frigates for whatever may be gained to those minors at war with non-Terran major powers. Finally, Albireo IV shall be renamed to "Reply Hazy."

Defense Commission

The DIE Fighter, DICE Carrier, and Lend-Lease Frigate designs shall be implemented. The Terran Alliance shall declare war on the Snathi and LentzLandian nations. Additionally, one queued building on Daikou shall be replaced by an Industrial Sector.

Trade and Loan Commission

Two XR Freighters shall be built and sent to planets at Senator Morgan's discretion. Also, Canaan shall build a mining vessel once its current Ninja Constructor project is finished.

*RECORDING BEGINS*


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So nice ta see you again, ain't it?


As flippant and sarcastic as ever, I see. Fine. I'll say it. You win. You have invaded a sovereign nation and murdered most of its citizens, all to secure me for some petty revenge. Congratulations.


There is nothing "petty" about this, Dr. Gibons. You committed grievous treason against every single nation that cooperated to build the first faster-than-light engine.


For every race that expanded peacefully, another has gone on to exploit, enslave, and exterminate entire worlds. You didn't see what atrocities the Korathi were committing casually on their own colonies. It is your fault such monstrosities were unleashed upon the galaxy, Dr. Gibons, and you will be made to answer for your crimes.


See ya at The Hague!

*RECORDING ENDS*


Oh, I love stories with happy endin's. Now let's get ta business before I tell ya what happened to them squirrels. Morgan, start this wagon train to the stars.


I would, but I unfortunately have no comment to make at this time. Two of the new, faster XR Freighters were built and sent out from Earth, but they didn't reach their destinations until the second quarter.


If you say so. Prav, looks like yer the train leader.



I'm not entirely sure what you are talking about. However, let me begin with the espionage report: in accordance with the senate's wishes, two spies were taken out of the Yor and Drengin networks and placed in the Torian Confederation system instead.



Our information level on them is now considered "High."




We also learned that the Yor declared war on the Paulos in a blatant bit of expansionism, and they are extorting the allegedly once-great Drengin Empire for money.




The Altarians came to us with yet another warning about the Torians, which I again used as an opportunity for technology trade. I had to exchange quite a few fleet and defense technologies, but the Altarians were at last willing to share their knowledge of Large Scale Building. Senator Zakharov, if you wouldn't mind explaining?


Of course. Large Scale Building is the next step up from space frigates: destroyers. So far as I'm aware, only Terrans and Altarians have approached this level of power.



Production of destroyers began immediately upon receipt of the technology.


From here it is only a short hop up to Massive Scale Building, where we will gain access to the largest of hull sizes: battleships.


But the iteration beyond "destroyer" is "cruiser."


Maybe normally, but there will be no larger ship size for our space fleet; any larger and the energy drain of the integrity grids would make warp travel impractical. And since "battleship" is a much more impressive word than "cruiser," that's what we're going with.




In other technology news, our study of historically successful diplomats and charismatic leaders has yielded some impressive fruit.


So now we're both awesome and everybody else knows it. Next!







Yes, that would be me. Construction on existing starbases has tapered off in recent months.




This is because new starbases have been prioritized. Two new influence bases have been constructed: the first is placed to connect our colonies in the down-left region, and the second is by the distant Grizzly star system.


Right, so who's next?


I have a few announcements to make.



First, Albireo IV has been renamed at the whim of its new senator.




Second, the Galactic Showcase has been deemed a Terran priority by the lower house, and so two Industrial Sector upgrades were purchased for Epona, the planet where the Showcase is being built.




Other special projects have been completed on a more normalized time scale.


Right, and now fer the moment ye've all been waitin' fer. Corazon, take us away.





Let me begin by showing our new ship designs. The first is the Lend-Lease Frigate, which was designed by a Drengin citizen in order to partially conceal the make of the vessel. The second is the DIE Fighter, and the third is the DICE Carrier. The last may look different than what the Blue Sun senator proposed, but that's because Ural-Kombinat won the contract. Two variants on the DICE Carrier have been developed, the first with anti-missile technology and the second with significant durathium armor plating. Neither the DIE nor the DICE has been ordered in any system yet, as we are instead concentrating on destroyers for the time being.



As for the LentzLandians, the war was no sooner declared than it was implemented.



Most of the LentzLandian fleet was arrayed in an aggressive stance regarding the Altarians, leaving the planet lightly defended.




It was decided that we should give the LentzLandians a choice, and so worldwide broadcasts declaring pardons for any who were willing to fight against the human traitor. Over 1.8 billion citizens answered our call.

The LentzLandians were not trained soldiers, and their armor and weapons were roughly one tenth of what we brought to bear.



Their defeat was inevitable.



LentzLandians II is a technologic powerhouse, as one might expect for a planet ruled by a former scientist. Efforts are now underway to upgrade their quaint Xeno Labs to modern levels.

As for the planet itself, Dr. Gibons could hardly have chosen better. Between the basic placement of supercontinents and the evolutionary levels, LentzLandians II is essentially Earth as it would have been without the last ten thousand years of human development.



Allow me to add that, between the LentzLandians' destruction and the Altarians' earlier war, two new resources, one technologic and one military, have been freed for our use. Both are now claimed by the Terran Alliance.


You can also see the two remaining Hengests and their escorts, which were dispatched to Snathi immediately following the war.



In other news, a second Yor fighter was seen in our territory operating under a piratical flag.



The lower house proved to be only slightly less inclined to fight the Snathi, but they remain safely in President Svensgaard's pocket.



While less provoked than the LentzLandians were, the majority of the Snathi fleet was, in fact, outside of its planet during the invasion.




Since we could count less on their peoples' support, we instead used our Tidal Disruptors.



It did not fare well for the squirrels.



Snathi is another verdant paradise, which amazingly has managed to build an Economic Capital (our second, including Odin). Between this and the high population cap, Snathi IV promises to be quite the wealthy world.



We did have to rebuild the Starport, however.


Snathi also owned several resources in the region, which we have also now claimed.


Bravo, folks. Well, that just leaves me, then.





The Nautilus sure has been busy, and that's all there is ta say about that.



So I'm callin' the recess fer now. See you pucker-faced champagne swillers in an hour.