Part 81: Episode VII: 2500 - 2525

Episode VII: 2500-2525




For the last decade or so we've been even or ahead of the Silicoids in population as they gradually lose ground against the Psilons.




We are prototyping increased range, which will give us relations with the other three races I'm confident(Human/Darlok/Bulrathi), and also Anti-Matter Torpedoes, which will make it useful for us to build warships. It's time for us to be more aggressive and try to join in the war any way we can. The only path to victory I can see -- and a highly unlikely one regardless -- is to expand in the chaos of war, build enough strength to take Orion, and use the toys we find there at some point in a desperate struggle against the seemingly invincible Psilons down the road.




Here's the state of our defenses. Most of the other planets I can see from other empires have 30-45 missile bases so we are behind them but gradually building up as we advance.




We're also making a play for two different systems here. This colonizer is headed for Hyades, a system destroyed some while back. A Psilon colony ship will get there the same time we do so it's a question of who 'wins the tie'. Tyr was also destroyed recently, but the Silicoids got there first. They are reinforcing it with transports but not ships -- our transports will get there first, and the human(purple) fleet in orbit is a single cruiser so even if they attack our troops we should be able to take the system. Question is can we hold it. We realistically may gain both of these systems, and we also may get neither, but seizing these kinds of opportunities is our only chance to do anything right now since we have no fleet.

The next year we capture Tyr, with an exchange rate of 18:4. Getting Zortium didn't seem to help us much. They've got Fusion Rifles and Absorption Shields. Incoming are a few silicoid destroyers, their relief transports which may well be enough to take us, one Psilon capship which will hopefully help, and Darlok colony ships. A chaotic situation that could go either way. Meanwhile the Silicoids got to Hyades first.




We get our range boost to Reajax II the next year, and will next go for Ion Drives, which would double our current mobility. The Silicoids land and re-take Tyr(losing 14 to our 54). I'll probably keep sending transports there simply because they are busy elsewhere, unless it looks like they are going to have enough ships in orbit to stop us.




Good to see you too.




That's a little better. Now we can get a proper handle on where we stand in the galaxy for the first time -- almost. We are still out of contact with the Bulrathi. Both Darloks and Humans are Diplomatic races, Xenophobic and Honorable respectively though. The Humans are on the other side of the conflict while the Darlok are on ours. We can't exactly choose our side here -- the Psilons are going to win and it's better to be their right hand than in their path. We bribe the Darloks with Zortium Armor and establish a 325BC trade deal.




As you can see the Darloks and Humans are tiny -- we basically know where everybody is fully now.




Things don't look as bad for us when you see a larger picture here. Even with no fleet we're a little ahead of the small fry overall. The nigh-omnipotent Psilons are the only reason we can't be optimistic. Meanwhile, they have destroyed Hyades so one of us will get a crack at it now ... I also decide not to send any more transports to Tyr. We need to wait for a clearer opportunity between them having ships inbound, us having no fleet, and the very lopsided exchange rate we have in terms of ground combat with them.




We get the nod for whatever game mechanics reason there is, but we're going to lose it if the Psilons don't stay in orbit and protect us. 29 Silicoid transports are incoming. GNN reports we are up to a solid #3 in population behind the Psilon and Bulrathi.




I'll be watching to see how this plays out also. If the Humans weaken the Silicoid presence, and they don't maintain a significant fleet in orbit, we may try and send another wave in. The next year, the Psilons take out all incoming Silcoid ships and transports at Hyades. We'll still need them to stick around if we are going to hang on to the system, but that's enough of a good-will gesture for me to send a few million colonists to get things moving a little more there.

Another year, and the artifacts planet at Escalon, between Hyades and the rest of our territory was destroyed as the Psilons inexplicably moved their ships away like the AI does sometimes. The Silicoids have a couple of combat ships headed there, but I think a pair of colony ships might arrive first. One is ours, the other is Bulrathi. Meanwhile more ships are headed to reinforce Tyr so that option is off the table.

We've now reached another situation where I've got to reassess the progress of the war every single year, seeing what doors of opportunity are opening and closing, where I should invest and when to conserve resources. It's an ever-shifting, dynamic situation and the Psilons are being just random enough to allow for others like us to possibly make important gains.




Another cycle, and this. Enough damage to penetrate virtually any ship shielding and modest planetary ones. In other words, useful against anyone save our allies who we are not nearly stupid enough to attack anytime soon. It's time to prepare for a real offensive.




I'm still primarily interested in our defensive capabilities, so we go Pulson Missiles here, which do a third more damage than our current Stingers.




I've always thought this was a fairly quality name for a ship, so I'll leave it. This is the best computer and propulsion stuff I can put on a ship, the shielding just thrown on at the end. Not the largest payload obviously, but it's new tech. We'll go to a 50-50 split between shipbuilding and research now. The rally point is Vega, with the idea of taking Tyr by force once we have enough of them to make a show of it. We won't get more than about one of them a year to start with, so it'll take some time.




Here's what the rocks currently have. The biggest thing I notice here is no missile development whatsoever. We needn't fear their bases much. There may be a chance for us to gain territory at their expense.




The Bulrathi colony ship was armed, and they seize Escalon. We will see how long that lasts, but having them this close to our territory is not pleasant. We have an uneasy peace with them, though we do manage to sign a Non-Aggression Pact with the Darloks. Meanwhile the Psilons remain in guard position over Hyades thankfully.




Yeah, you've never attempted to 'reason with us', liars. But whatever makes you feel better. The Psilons destroyed their Escalon colony, which seems to be the thing that pushed them over the edge. We'll try to sneak in there again.




This time everyone else left for whatever reason. Sure, we'll take that. Humans, Psilons, and Bulrathi transports are incoming. Meanwhile our first two Ajax cruisers just went operational. Escalon is the new rally point. The Psilons might protect it for us, and they might not, but an artifact system is important enough for us to throw everything we can at holding it.




Meklon, disaster magnet. You all were saying about what events hadn't fired yet? Here's another one off the list. We have only a few hundred in the reserve, which was going towards funding buildup on Hyades and Escalon. As important as that is, it will now go to saving the homeworld. Shipbuilding will have to be halted as the other systems pump money into the reserve to ensure we have enough to deal with this crisis. This is not a good time for this, not that there ever really is one.




The Psilons left, with predictable results.




Of course you are. Can we have something other than bad news, please?!? Kthxbye. Turns out our industrial base is just large enough to fully fund transfers to Meklon and put a few hundred into research. So that's all that's going to happen for the duration.




This showed up at Escalon the next year. We had one cruiser in place. Running like the cowardly fool I am, I watched them destroy the small settlement from orbit, while contact is broken with the Bulrathi again, and some saboteur took out a couple of bases on Meklon. Bad on top of bad with a side of terrible.

The 32k ship bug has struck our allies the Psilons. Like they needed more help.




That's done with, and our two Ajaxs have managed to take down a few Silicoid ships at Escalon, including a colony ship that was incoming to take the system. We are actually fighting back, for the first time -- and now I can work on getting more ships there.

Or not, since the Psilons got there first and the Darloks have taken Hyades. So it's back to Vega now and rebuilding to wait for another chance to do something useful.




Like say, defending our own territory. The Silicoids destroy Escalon a year later and send this our way. Vega is our weakest system, with just 14 bases. Combined with whatever cruisers we can amass in the next few years, I don't know if it will be enough. The Barracudas(single neutron blaster) don't worry me. That many Whales(death spores, nuclear bombs which can't hurt our defenses, hard beam, neutron blaster) could be quite interesting though. These ships are all slow, so I hope we'll be able to tear them up by the time they arrive.




So much for being fast friends with them. The Silicoids tried to bribe us to break our alliance with the Psilons. No thanks, we aren't suicidal.

In 2522, the rocks arrived in Vega.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWLZNGJfL9I



Those death spores almost did us in, but not quite. 21M, a third of the starting population, survived the attack. They've got the second tier Bio-Toxin but we haven't seen it in use yet. Definitely will want to grab any antidotes we run into.

In the meantime, I think we're ready for a little expedition to Tyr. It'll take a crapton of population to wear them down and capture it, but hopefully we can eventually snag a tech or two in the process to help our chances later on. Everywhere except for the reduced numbers on Vega preps half it's population for the invasion. This is going to take a while, and it's going to hurt.

Elsewhere the fighting over Hyades and Escalon continues, but I don't yet see a clear opportunity. The year before the vote the invasion begins in earnest. We take out 50 of their ships without a single loss(13 cruisers on station), and lose the first ground invasion(65, with 11M defenders removed). Population stands at 42, and now we will work on pounding the rock.




Same nominees of course, I expect that to be stable until/unless we can gain enough territory, and basically half of our people are in invasion transports right now. The rocks gained back two population during this period.

** Bulrathi(8) -- Voting for themselves of course.
** Darlok(2) -- Zygot
** Humans(3) -- Smurch. No change in either of these.
** Psilons(18) -- Same total they've had the last couple votes. They aren't being as successful in the war as they should be.

We have just three votes due to the ongoing transports. 23-18 Zygot leads the vote this time, with our support. The Council is pretty stable, but once things turn the Psilons way that will no longer be the case.