Part 20: 2980-2990-Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair

Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair



The 2990 elections bring a coalition of Liberals and Conservatives to power in the Great Senate. Although sentiment is strong for intervention beyond the United Republic's borders, the precise target is deeply controversial, and a great deal of argument and wrangling is required before the Great Senate agrees to plan a war of liberation against the Unified State. The coalition government agrees to let much domestic policy be handled by the Liberals, while ensuring significant funding for shipbuilding and naval weapons research. Within a year, breakthroughs by Mikhailovich Interplanetary under contract with the Navy result in the unveiling of new fields of electromagnetic flux projected along with standard combat jamming that should be able to unpredictably cause violent and destructive surges of power in electronics, optronics, and biological nervous systems crossing through the flux, burning out missiles, small craft, and small craft pilots approaching a vessel.






Meanwhile, the assaults on the last two Klackon planets commence. The defenses around Hawking Alpha are destroyed and the planet occupied without difficulty, and Proctor Alpha is invaded once again, the 40 million defenders managing to cause approximately nine million casualties before being crushed. With the fall of these two planets, the Klackon now are entirely under Republican control, and the war ends with complete victory. With the victory, the Philadelphia, Reykjavik, and London are dispatched to New Greenland for refit, the Hong Kong is dispatched to the Kraken system to cover it against Unified State attack, and the Majestic, Nieuwpoort, and Vigilant are sent to Sagan to rendezvous with Republican surface forces gathering there and prepare for offensive operations against the Unified State.






The fall of the last Klackon planets allows Republican scientists to reverse-engineer rapid-deployment void-based interceptors, electron stream weaponry, Klackon targeting computers, and powerful energy weapons that fire a carrier beam which, on contact with a target, collapses, opening a microportal to another dimension and letting energy from the other dimension bleed through. The new 'phased multidimensional energy stream' weapon is refitted onto Republican surface-to-orbit fighters, as it is expected to be more powerful than the current fighter-mounted coilguns.



This year also brings the establishment of a new AI colony on Inferno, in the Ninsar system, with work immediately undertaken to develop the world for exploitation.




In 2982, the Nations issues a formal statement that the Star Empire has been destroyed. With the destruction of the Trilarian settlements in Trilar, the last remnants of the Trilarian species remain only in the Trifid system, under the rule of the Nations. The RES Neil Armstrong explores the Oshi system in the same year, revealing it to be only sparsely supplied with comets and a few asteroids, as well as a single small gas giant in the far outer system.



The new enhancements in Human intelligence have started to result in a growing population of extreme scientific geniuses, many of whom go into the competitive R&D sector on Laaxaayik. Innovation across the United Republic is booming.

A pity he showed up late enough we already had Research Labs and Autolabs, but he's still a good colony leader.



2984 brings an attempt by Unified State negotiators to share scientific information with Republican researchers, but, by this point, Republican forces are already repositioning from Sagan to Hoshi in preparation for an assault on Sabaki. The overtures are rebuffed.





The following year, the Republican financial industry adopts a series of protocols taking advantage of Republic-wide networking via tachyon communications, the proliferation of uniquely-identifiable brain implants, and powerful encryption methods. Fraud-proof and instantaneous financial transactions tied to any individual are now possible, and immediate updates of financial information greatly smooth the difficulties of interplanetary trade. The resulting boom in trade greatly boosts living standards across the United Republic. Meanwhile, the government and business establishment in the Sol system has become more responsive and more effective than ever before, increasing the wealth of Sol beyond its already impressive levels. The Republican economy is also boosted by trade with the Union of Peace for nanobots designed to seek down atmospheric contaminants and return them to processing plants for breakdown, which improves environmental quality and reduces the expense of waste disposal.

Leaders level up, very slowly. Kirsus is now a Magistrate rather than a Director, for instance. I figured that showing off the promotion of our great leader in Sol was appropriate, though...

Also, with this new anti-pollution technology, I figure I may as well discuss the math behind pollution and productivity bonuses.

Production of food, industry, and science on planets comes from two sources- workforce and buildings. The boost per worker provided by buildings like automated factories, research labs, and weather controllers are considered to be increasing workforce output, while the flat +5 or +10 bonuses are the 'building' bonus. Percentage-based productivity bonuses, like the bonuses from morale, Farming, Labor, or Science Leaders, the bonus to science from Democracy or the bonuses to industry and farming from Unification, only apply to workforce output, not to output from buildings. Fractions over one-half get rounded up, fractions under one-half get rounded down, as far as these percentage-based bonuses apply.

Money is a little different; money produced on a planet comes from population, special income (from gold or gems), and trade goods (at 1 BC per 2 production spent, rounding up). Morale bonuses apply only to population income, while the percentage bonuses applied by income-boosting structures, technologies, and Financial Leaders apply to population and special income, but not to trade goods. Morale bonuses are rounded up and down as usual, but bonuses from government, structures, and technologies are applied separately from each other, and only apply when they add up to a full BC. This means, for instance, that a Federation, with a 75% income bonus, still earns only 1 BC from a population 1 colony (1.75 income), but earns 3 from a population 2 colony (3.5), 5 from a population 3 (5.25), and 7 from a population 3 colony. I'm not able to check how rounding for Financial Leaders works right now, unfortunately.

Pollution is calculated based on the total industry produced by workforce on a planet, ignoring the contributions of buildings. Each planet can produce up to its size times 2 in industry before creating pollution- so, 2 for a tiny world, 10 for a huge world. Over this limit, half the industry produced, rounding up, is lost as pollution. An ultra-rich abundant world with automated factories and robo miner planets with a Human workforce produces 11 industry per worker, and 15 industry flat from the buildings. Its production limit is 6. With 3 industrial workers, its workforce produces 33. (33-6)/2= 13.5, rounded up to 14. Thus, the workforce produces 19 industry and 14 pollution, and the planet overall produces 34 industry and 14 pollution.

Pollution processors halve the production before it's checked against the production limit, rounding fractions down. So that same world would only be treated as producing 16 production before calculating pollution if it had a pollution processor, and end up with 43 industry and 5 pollution. Atmosphere renewers work similarly, but quarter production before the pollution calculation; pollution processors and atmosphere renewers together cut industry before the calculation to one eighth. The effect of nano disassemblers is to automatically double the production tolerance of every planet in your empire.



The year also brings the colonisation of Everest, the second colonisable body in the Sarti system. Work immediately begins to establish an industrial base and correct for the local gravity.



As the United Republic confirms the fleet is in position, it dispatches orders for the fleet to depart from Hoshi to Sabaki while simultaneously dispatching a formal declaration of war to the Unified State. The United Republic sets to the liberation of the Mrrshan with vigor and dispatch.






A year later, in 2986, the fleet arrives at Sabaki and engages Mrrshan forces there. It proves that two classes of naval vessel are represented amongst the defense. The class Republican analysts dub 'Lynx' has a single nuclear missile tube as primary armament, with two neutron acceleration beams mounted on either side of the nose as backup. The class analysts dub 'Bobcat' is fairly similar, but with a spinal neutron accelerator instead of a nuclear missile tube and without the capability for sustained fire on its secondary cannon that the Lynx vessel has. The orbital defenses are more formidable, mounting high-powered graviton beams and an array of point defense electron beams. Unfortunately for the Unified State warships, the Unified State only has old-style titanium alloy armor and framing and archaic, slow drive systems. The entire defending force is smashed without incident.

The invasion of Hrrset that follows pits 140 million Mrrshan troops and militia against 160 million Republican troops. Mrrshan forces are outgunned, outarmored, and outmanuevered, and only 7 million Republican troops are lost in the invasion. Many of the inhabitants of Hrrset react with outright celebration, but Republican forces still have a difficult road to follow ensuring that new governing institutions are established and the old leadership is entirely hunted down and arrested, to ensure that none of the members of the old regime are able to seize power once democratic elections are held on Hrrset. The fleet holds station at Sabaki, awaiting the arrival of the Philadelphia and the Reykjavik, and the veteran ground generals aboard the Reykjavik, hoping to ensure lower losses in the future.



Meanwhile, the RES Neil Armstrong detects the entry of three Antaran scout vessels to hyperspace near its position as it approaches the Simak system in the Nations. What's more, the Antaran vessels will arrive only a year after the Neil Armstrong. She is ordered to hold position in the outer system and observe the Antaran vessels when they arrive. The footage transmitted by the Neil Armstrong is grim. The three Antaran scouts approach the sole toxic planet inhabited by Sakkra in the system, ignoring all hails from the colony, and proceed to attack with weapons that Republican scientists believe, after analysis of the sensor data, to be bursts of antineutrons making a brief hyperspace jump and dropping back into normal space upon intersecting solid matter, along with bombs which clearly contain a small contained singularity which detonates with incredible power on the surface as it evaporates. Despite radiation screening on the planet forcing early detonation of many of the bombs limiting the damage caused, the brief assault still leaves six billion inhabitants of the world dead. The attack completed, the Antaran scouts transmit a brief message to the RES Neil Armstong before engaging systems that appear to draw them back into their own dimension: "Fear not, thine own ending shalt not be long delayed. Thine impatience to meet thine superiors amuses, but is hardly necessary, be assured."



While the Neil Armstong arrives at Simak, Williamson-Lin researchers unveil the next refinement in spaceborne kinetic weapons. A cannon creates a linear pocket of 'subspace', a temporary microdimension wracked by nearly unimaginable gravitational forces running its length. A small metallic projectile at one end of the subspace pocket is near-instantly accelerated to speeds ranging from .88c to .92c, depending on the length of the subspace pocket, and hurled out the barrel of the cannon as the subspace pocket dissolves. On impact with a solid target, the projectile instantly blasts itself and much of the surrounding area to plasma as the immense kinetic forces involved are released. Williamson-Lin promises that with further refinement, they may be able to create slightly larger pockets accelerating somewhat larger projectiles that could survive a miniscule amount of time longer after impact, thus allowing far deeper penetration into a target. Although the new weapon design is still bulky and experimental, its potential is obvious, and plans are made to implement subspace linear accelerators as the new standard of Naval weaponry following the war against the Unified State.

The gauss cannon is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

While the fleet at Sabaki waits for its reinforcements, it twice attacks and destroys Unified State naval vessels arriving at the system, a Lynx in 2988 and a Bobcat in 2989. The engagements are short and lethal, allowing no chance for counterfire by Mrrshan gunners.



2990 brings more innovations, with Williamson-Lin refining subspace linear accelerator designs, unveiling the promised capability for deeper penetration, while Republican Atlantic researchers unveil new refinements to shield designs that allow the suspension of a cloud of metallic particles in a shield bubble, which can be shunted aside by currents within the shield to allow clear lines of fire for weapons. The cloud of solid particles should be enough to force weapon fire travelling through hyperspace (such as that observed in Antaran weaponry) to drop back into normal space on interacting with the cloud, as well as providing ablative interference with incoming weapons fire. The new 'hard shields' are a significant advance over older shield designs.





Meanwhile, the now-reinforced Republican fleet arrives at Ymar, attacking and destroying a Lynx and an orbital station around Miyahar before landing troops on the planet. The Unified State defenders are massively outnumbered and are facing the finest Republican surface military commanders, and the fighting is over within a month, with fewer than 100,000 Republican casualties taken. As the fleet takes position, it discovers evidence of ruins of a pre-warp spacefaring culture on the irradiated planet nearest the system primary, and evidence of its destruction by nuclear bombardment. Earlier rumors of the Mrrshan having encountered a strange 'Rock' civilisation before their contact with the United Republic are suddenly granted more credence. Although the ruins are of some historical interest, it is clear the 'Rocks' were far less advanced than the United Republic, and there is no real scientific value in the ruins of their civilisation.

A minor cameo by one of the races that didn't actually make it into the game. In a way, they make more sense starting on a radiated world rather than on a terran world as they would if they were actually in the game.

The United Republic in 2990



With more efficient leadership, a refocus on civilian concerns, and the new financial technology in the United Republic, Earth is now wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice and a great center of commerce and innovation. With its current living standards, most citizens of Earth believe that their current situation is, essentially, Utopian, providing luxury and happiness from top to bottom of the society.



Mars shares the immense wealth and splendor of Earth. There is some level of political dissatisfaction on Mars with the aggressive push to liberate the Unified State, but much of this is collapsing in the face of the obvious joy of ordinary Mrrshan to be freed from the Unified State. Scholars of history point out the United Republic experienced similarly warm receptions over the course of the wars that led to the unification of Earth, which is why even the citizens of Communist Brazil, which fell in 2697, were eager participants in Republican elections and well-integrated into the greater Republic as early as 2705.



The AIs of Mercury have recently been investing some of their incomes into such consumer comforts and entertainment as industrial AIs enjoy, which should be only a brief diversion from the profits of the settlement.

Despite the technology description claiming androids are unaffected by morale, android workers benefit from morale bonuses (although I believe android farmers and scientists do not). I doublechecked this just this year, and saw that not only was this true, I'd more than break even from holo simulators on the AI colonies, so I started constructing them.



Nieuw Vlaanderen's heavy industry has turned to the production of vast quantities of consumer and capital goods, while its agricultural sector has shrunk, somewhat, in the face of newly rising competition from agribusiness based in Klackon space. Nieuw Vlaanderen is still a vital agricultural world, but shifting investment has helped strengthen its R&D sector. Like Earth and Mars, its wealth and luxury is spectacular.



Despite the abolition of industrial subsidies under the current government, massive Naval spending still ensures an immense heavy industrial workforce in the shipyards and component factories of the Forge. The Terrible is expected to be completed within only two years. Its wealth is immense, but slightly lags that of worlds benefitting from AI-controlled heavy industry.



Much of the heavy industry of the Anvil is now focused on the building trades, expanding cities to allow new settlers and growing families to make their homes here. Like the Forge, the Anvil has immense wealth, but not quite to the level of the more developed worlds with AI industry.



Fool's Hope, like Mercury, is experiencing a wave of purchases of consumer products for the native AIs, but is otherwise fully developed and a great industrial center. ISHTAR ATLASBUILT has awakened on Fool's Hope. She portrays herself as a dark-haired, voluptuous woman, dressed in an elegant white bridal dress.



Growing populations have helped ease the stress on Gobi's population, although the world is still rather poor and underdeveloped. A technology industry has started to grow here, in response to civilian demand.



New Greenland now has 1.5 million industrial AIs and an extremely powerful R&D sector. Although the overall system economy in Weg is perhaps somewhat weaker than that in Sol or Hut, R&D in the system is extremely efficient and conditions on New Greenland nearly match those on Earth or Nieuw Vlaanderen.

Sol and Hut will always benefit from having our best leaders on them, but Kirsus is still a very nice leader, and even a leaderless world developed as far as New Greenland is would basically be absurdly rich.



Surface-to-orbit fighter bases, an advanced naval training facility in orbit, radiation screening, and a surface garrison have bolstered Wotan's defenses over the past decade. Investment on the planet is now serving the desire of new families to form or settle from elsewhere, and homes, shops, and other amenities to develop new regions are being thrown up at a rapid pace.



The violent storms that earlier wracked Thor have abated in response to the last round of ecological engineering, consumer positronics are widely-adopted, and THOR ATLASBUILT has awakened on the planet. THOR is now working on helping develop the educational system across the world. THOR appears as a hugely muscular, handsome red-haired man who wears the uniform of a Republican surface forces artillerist. With the new developments, Thor is now beginning to approach the level of development of the true core worlds of the Republic.



The population of Loki has plateaued, at the moment, at approximately six billion. The current round of ecological engineering is nearly complete, and ice cover on the world is beginning to melt away dramatically.



The 2.5 million industrial AIs of Hel now enjoy full Puppeteer deployment and the company of HEL ATLASBUILT, who chooses to appear as a melancholy young woman with red hair, dressed all in black. Consumer positronics are penetrating through the AI population here.



The R&D output of Laaxaayik has exploded as it has become an important center for many of the finest researchers of the United Republic, and the entire world's incomes benefit from the economic activity this stimulates. New settlement on Laaxaayik is booming, and is expected to continue for some years to come.



Cherenkov's population has now stabilised at somewhat over ten billion, with a million industrial AIs now controlling its heavy industry. The world enjoys immense wealth, only somewhat behind Mars. Local industry churns out an endless array of products for consumers and for industrial use.



Surface-to-orbit fighter garrisons and advanced naval training facilities now complete the military presence on Naraka. There is vigorous civilian investment in real estate, allowing this now fully-developed world to accept new immigrants.



Sheol now enjoys a fully Earthlike environment and immense development, and is the key port of entry to the United Republic by Elerian merchant vessels. Surface-to-orbit fighter bases are being constructed, staffed, and equipped over the planet.



With higher population, Acheron now suffers less from difficulty in maintaining its infrastructure, but it is still primitive and poor by Republican standards. A local technology industry is under development.



The people of Faraway now enjoy widespread access to consumer positronics, arcology-cities help support a population that now exceeds six billion, and RHEA ATLASBUILT now exists on the planet. RHEA depicts herself as good-looking woman with fair skin and dark hair, wearing a tasteful dress of dark green.



Parch has taken great strides over the past decade. Although population still is less than three billion, it has gone from barely-developed to supporting large commercial spaceports with orbital warehousing, a local technology industry, sophisticated and diversified business practises, and arcology-cities that should let its population continue to grow into the future. Puppeteer technology is being deployed to aid mining and construction, which should further boost the local economy when it is complete.



2.5 million industrial AIs with a relatively modern industrial base now call Inferno home, with 1 million more expected to be brought online on the planet before its growth phase ends.



Ecological engineering has completed the melt-off of Crossroads' ice coverage, leaving the world with a relatively fertile biosystem. The population is somewhat over seven billion and growing, and an ATLASBUILT AI is being constructed on the surface.



Pasteur enjoys a more sophisticated economy employing modern business practises and a new access to consumer positronics, compared to a decade ago. The first round of ecological engineering has followed the pattern usual to particularly hot worlds, with a violent weather system and relatively low water content to help keep temperatures manageable. The violent weather is somewhat problematic, but Pasteur has the wealth and assets to adapt relatively easily.



Although Chukwu now enjoys higher incomes, a more diversified economy, a native technology industry, and pollution processing that addresses its earlier issues with waste disposal, it still suffers from relatively long work hours and relatively high accident rates, by Republican standards. The urgent need for more hands to handle vital tasks has led to elevated wages and high immigration, and many of its problems are expected to clear up within a year with the new immigration.



Haqqmali has only been colonised within the past two years, and remains a primitive infant colony. A basic modern industrial base is in place, and the construction of gravity correction facilities proceeds at a breakneck pace to free the colonists from the rigors of high gravity.



A sophisticated array of light industry to process the gold of Harper into useful and beautiful forms has been established on the surface, and an orbital trade station to expedite commerce in its lighter goods has been established. New consumer positronics are penetrating through the population, which still has considerable room to grow.



Gravity correction makes life considerably more pleasant on Polybotes, and new spaceport facilities serve what trade is willing to struggle through the nebula around the Kraken system. The planet is secured by equatorial missile bases, insurance against a Unified State attack now unlikely to come. The planet experiences supply shortages, and the equatorial defenses are half-staffed, and do not perform regular training drills.



Chezak now hosts sophisticated modern business methods, HUILGI ATLASBUILT, and an ATLASBUILT educational system with branches amongst the Zetel, which have helped further boost Zetel agricultural yields and prosperity. The local Zetel republics under the United Republic have become points of pride for the Zetel, and, although Zetel incomes are generally lower than those of the starfaring species in the United Republic, the top tier of Zetel business and political elites rub shoulders on equal terms with their Human partners. HUILGI, named after a Zetel goddess of wealth, appears as an attractive female Zet in Republican business dress. Although incomes are higher than a decade ago, hours remain extremely long by Republican standards, and there is strong demand for new immigrants.



The long hours the settlers of Everest now work are generally considered greatly preferable to the difficulties of a high-gravity world, and more than a fair trade. Like Chezak, local concerns have been actively encouraging new immigration.



With the new individualism of Klackon, consumer positronics have spread through Lesath Alpha and improved quality of life for the Klackon there. The world now also supports MARDUK ATLASBUILT and an ATLASBUILT educational system, and has become quite wealthy through its development, precious metals, and the industriousness of its inhabitants. MARDUK appears as a solemn, graying man in plain business dress. Klackon here, as on many worlds, have started to become active in elections. The Klackon as a whole tend to favor Conservatives more commonly than do Humans.



Consumer positronics have penetrated through Ezra Alpha, which, like the Forge, is now a world whose economy is greatly impacted by the Naval spending expanding its shipyards. The Glorious is well under construction in orbit by a cadre of hard-working Klackon shipyard workers.



With more sophisticated business practises, a more diversified economy, widespread consumer positronics, and a local technology industry, Formica is considerably more prosperous and contented than it was a decade ago. It also now supports a naval base that protects it and ties into the command and logistics network of the Navy.



Consumer positronics serve the desires of the Klackon on Yad Alpha, and local business thrives with improved practises and efficiency. The local environment has followed the pattern of hot worlds with breathable atmospheres and water introduced, and the climate is violent and dangerous on Yad Alpha. Ecological engineering is well underway to moderate the climate and develop a more sophisticated biosystem on the planet.



Large-scale spaceport facilities, more sophisticated business practises, and widespread consumer positronics have brought greater prosperity and luxury to the Klackon of Hewel Alpha, while equatorial missile bases help secure the world against attack. Puppeteer technology is being integrated into local mining and industry.



Modern Republican industrial equipment, greatly expanded spaceports to facilitate greater trade, and pollution processing facilities have greatly improved conditions on Kholdan Alpha, although it still has a long way to go before it can be considered fully-developed. Puppeteer technology is being established to assist in industrial work and improve local productivity.



One small landmass on Hive is still under military administration, while the rest of the planet has transitioned to civilian control. Puppeteer deployment, expanded port facilities, a more sophisticated and diversified economy, widespread consumer positronics, and the growth of a significant agribusiness sector with modern microbial soil enrichment and weather control that competes withe the agriculture of Nieuw Vlaanderen have greatly bolstered local prosperity. An ATLASBUILT AI is nearing completion on the planet.



Basic modern industry, proper commercial spaceport facilities, and radiation shielding to protect the planet make life more prosperous and comfortable for the Klackon of Pesci Beta than a decade ago, and equatorial missile bases protect the planet. The entire population has been assimilated, and the world has adopted Republican culture fully.



Proctor Alpha is largely, but incompletely, assimilated, with some pockets of Klackon yet to undergo retroviral treatment. The world now sports many Republican infrastructural elements, helping to bolster its quality of life.



Proctor Delta has been fully assimilated, and industrial AIs have begun to be constructed here. The Klackon here are beginning to emigrate from their Hellish world in greater and greater numbers, now that they have personal freedoms.



Although conquered less than a decade ago, Hawking Alpha is completely assimilated. Over the past decade, it has enjoyed great development with Republican technology, and incomes and productivity on the world are rising.



The economy of the Unified State is extremely primitive, suffering from the military-focused malinvestment of the regime. As such, establishment of economic infrastructure on Hrrset is beginning essentially from scratch. Although the people are glad to be free of the Unified State, there are still bands of loyalist guerrillas in the back country, and there is a considerable time to go before the United Republic is assured all the members of the previous regime on the planet guilty of crimes against sapience are apprehended. The RCSPS is confident the people of Hrrset may be ready to participate in the 3000 elections, however.



Miyahar has only just been conquered, and remains nearly as poor as any of the worlds of the Unified State. The occupation forces are engaged with hunting down loyalist guerrillas terrorising the general population.



Growth of trade with the Nations has resulted in a modest increase of volume of foreign trade. The destruction of the Star Empire, however, means that trade relations shall never be restored with them. The Union of Peace and the Nations report they are now at war. The RCSPS is focused on counterintelligence and the tracking of governmental and military figures from the Unified State, with only minimal foreign intelligence operations.

Since I've been talking about economic math in this update, I might as well discuss the math behind foreign trade. The potential revenue of foreign trade is equal to half the population of the less populous empire, rounded down, and trade and research agreements will go from costing some fraction of the potential revenue to the potential revenue over a few turns. Government money and research bonuses or penalties (in the case of the Feudal research penalty) apply to the revenue collected by an empire from foreign trade, with fractions ignored. The Fantastic Traders race ability and the Trader leader ability also boost revenues from trade, but do not increase research from research treaties. The Elerians have a total population of 12 (their homeworld only), which makes the base potential revenue of trade with them 6. As a Federation, we have a 75% science and money bonus, which gives a bonus of 4 to this base, making a total of 10. The Elerians are collecting 6 from trade and 3 from the research treaty, due to the 50% research penalty of Feudal.



The Republican economy is more prosperous and innovative than ever before, with large pools of investment capital and an extremely powerful R&D sector. Civilian transport capacity and naval logistics are both well capable of supporting the needs they supply. Klackon territory is entirely incorporated into the United Republic, which now stretches down into the Unified State. Both the Unified State and the Nations have colonised new systems over the past decade, claiming Wasat on one hand and resettling the former Star Empire system of Fides with Sakkra on the other. The Sakkra war against the Union of Peace has captured Eson in the Fascia system and devastated the Psilon home system.

The 2990 elections approach, and once again Republican voters turn out.

All three parties will now prosecute the war against the Unified State to its conclusion. Republican voters are confident and the news from the liberated planets has proved inspiring.

The Conservatives will continue rapid naval buildup, research into improving subspace linear accelerators, new military equipment, and new shipbuilding materials, as well as looking into applying creating subspace dimensions to focusing tachyon bursts more precisely for faster military communications. They will apply industrial subsidies on worlds without an AI industrial sector to speed industrial buildup. Conservative Senators have begun to agree food replication is a costly boondoggle, and if they dominate the government alone or in coalition with the Liberals, they will join in banning government research into food replication.

The Social Democrats wish to reinstitute widespread industrial subsidies and population bounties to encourage more population growth. As the Liberals were unable to outlaw government research into food replication, they wish to start a program to research food replication, as well as looking into improving military communications and other applications of advanced power storage and distribution. They will continue to build up the Navy, but more slowly than the Conservatives.

The Liberals wish to maintain a largely free-market stance and block food replication research by the government once and for all, hoping to forstall the difficulties it will present the Republican economy. Civilian investment will likely lead to improved industrial technologies, while Liberal naval spending will help build it up and develop new refinements in subspace linear accelerators, although they plan to maintain lower military spending than the Conservatives.

Both Conservative and Liberal senators debate the relative merits of extremely advanced ECM jamming systems that, in combination with the charged fields already developed, should render Republican naval vessels nearly immune to guided weapons fire as compared to a new generation of more powerful shields.