Part 82: Episode VII: 2525 - 2550

Episode VII: 2525-2550




The Silicoids recently got a production and fleet boost. Right now it's all about territory though, and hoping they and the Psilons can keep squabbling over the same systems.




Not getting much research right now, but we're about to see some new breakthroughs most important one being the new shield here.




We get it the very next turn. I'm tempted to go Repulsor Beam here, as I'd like to have that as an option. Only the Cloaking Device will give us new choices. It's almost a 3:1 cost ratio, but I decide to go Cloaking and see what that pops, then maybe go back for the Repulsor.

3 more transports land, taking 2 Silicoids with them. 68 to 13 now. Shipbuilding stops while we get the new shields up. The next year we got the latest Battle Computer ... and up pops Robotics VI! That's going to be a considerable upgrade. We presently on have tier III, so this will be a big push forward. Technology ratios are re-configured to focus on getting that ASAP. Meanwhile 101 transports land at Tyr ... and take just 11M Silicoids with them. That's some real bad luck with the dice there. 169 to 24 so far. If it gets any worse I'll have to bomb the darned thing out.

54 to 5 next time out(223 to 29 overall). I don't know why, they haven't gotten any additional tech. RNG just seems to be favoring them.

51 to 6 lost next as we get Class X shields up on Meklon and Crypto. They sent a new type of cap-ship at us as well but the Ajax cruisers swatted it before it could get close. They've got more ships incoming to Vega though, so we'll have to pull back soon and deal with that. We'll pause here from the troop transports. I'm not even sure we're going to win this as much as we've put into the grinder. I'm forced to admit the operation has been a waste; we'll have to go to bombing them out and recolonizing afterwards, as inefficient as that is. If the kill ratio had stayed at 5:1 we'd have been fine. What a freaking resource dump.

2532: The last of the Class X Shields are up, a year before the rocks arrive. Meanwhile the Darloks want a new NAP. Not sure why they've changed their minds, but we agree.




After obliterating the latest incoming Silicoid attack, I reassess the situation. The Psilons have a big fleet heading to Tyr, so I'll let them do whatever they are going to do there. I decide to send the cruisers back to Escalon. Nobody's been able to hold it for long, and right now the Silicoids, Psilons, and Darloks are all headed there. I'll look for an opportunity to take and fortify it. That's as good a plan as any.




As aggravating as this is, it will help them against the Psilons in the long-term, so it's probably good.




With our ships about to arrive at Escalon, nobody else is there, but a bunch of Darloks are incoming. If we beat them, I'll destroy the colony, leaving the Darloks to starve, and then re-settle it. This is a particularly cold and dastardly plan, which if successful will have us intentionally dooming 52 million citizens of an empire we have no quarrel with. But you know, they sent transports without a fleet in place, and in the end there can be only one.




Everything goes according to plan. Meanwhile the Psilons take out Tyr, and this happens to them. These were bugged 32k fleets; now they are even more bugged, presumably because they lost some of them.

How does one have a negative amount of ships in orbit? Isn't that as hostile to the space-time continuum as say, dividing by zero? The next year we colonize Escalon again. I think we've got better chances of holding it now. Silicoids and Bulrathi are incoming though, so we'll need our Ajax cruisers to swat them.




And there it is! That's how to get the job done. The Psilons also destroy Celtsi, a nearby Silicoid world that is a large terran, very nice. But we don't have the ability to guard two worlds at once yet. After we deal with the incoming waves here, the Silicoids have retaken Celtsi but it looks like we can get to Tyr before anyone else. I divide our ships in half and give it a shot. A careful balance is to be struck here like walking a tight-rope; we've got to be aggressive in taking what we can without stretching ourselves too thin to defend it.




We just do beat the Psilons there in 2543. Back up to eight systems, and hopefully holding them this time and consolidating a bit now.




We get our cheaper factories in which will be quite useful once the new robotics arrives. Andrium Armor will move us forward here. Now that we are needing regular transfer payments, I move Crypto(our #2 planet) into reserve funding as is my custom. This will make sure we can adequately build up any new colonies.

2549: We lose contact with the Darloks. It appears the Humans are fighting them and have taken out the homeworld of Nazin. Didn't know they were tough enough to do that, but there's nothing to be done about it.




As the Council assembles we are given this update. This is not encouraging given that we are close to being maxed out for our current economic situation. The galaxy is largely mobilized, and as much as we've improved we clearly still have a long way to go.

How the homo sapiens have managed a fleet this large, I have no clue.




Same stuff, different day.

** Silicoids(5) -- Smurch. The rocks are definitely losing now. It's only a matter of time.
** Bulrathi(8)
** Darloks(1) -- Zygot. Could well be the first to be eliminated.
** Humans(2) -- Smurch
** Psilons(19, +1)

And then there's us, up to 6 votes which is the best we've achieved this galaxy. Third and creeping up on Smurch and his bearfolk. We vote Zygot again, leaving things at 26-15. If we get much stronger we won't be able to caucus with the Psilons without handing them the victory, and will probably be their opposing nominee. If that happens, it may be a lot more challenging to remain friends with them.

The most shocking thing of all though is after everything that has happened, we've not merely survived but are legitimately a player in this game. I expected to be exterminated by now.