Part 133: Episode XII: 2425

This update will be a little unusual, as it's the other period where a crash wiped out part of the writeup.

Episode XII: 2425 -

I manage to swing one useful tech trade: Sublight to the Sakkra for Reduced Waste 80%. It's not a lot but it'll help. Also, fun fact: nobody has Planetery Shields yet. After 125 years.




A solid base, but definitely well behind in most areas despite it.





It was about at this point that other races starting snatching the hostile Inferno-and-worse systems.




Finally, we are almost to the point of our first robotics upgrade.




When I did arrive, I think I took Improved Space Scanner here. HyperX Rockets came in shortly afterwards as well.




Didn't get to finish it though. This rather droll agent stole it from the Klackons.




And, probably fueled by a moderate amount of bribing, we started working our way out of the conflicts with this deal.




With the Sakkra now sending transports to Berel every second or third year(proving that NAP is basically useless other than maintaining goodwill), these will actually be pretty important in reducing the number of people I have to regularly transfer in. This may be the dumbest undeclared war I've yet seen. Also, Fusion Drives.

Class IV Deflectors and Impulse Drives -- that's 4-for-4 on engine upgrades -- arrive next. The Meklar now appear to clearly have the upper hand in the race for second Council nominee, so any designs on a quick diplomatic win have been shelved. No matter, we're progressing and I'm feeling confident in an eventual win. Definition of 'eventual' in terms of the timeline may vary.




The latest defense, about the 10th one(roughly). Typically we've been slightly outgunned. This time they lost 52 million, with only 39 million Alkari deaths. For now, the PDS has granted us a significant advantage. Five colonies in the surrounding area regularly send in more colonists/troops, and it would be nice to have more of those reinforcements focused on matters of economic importance. This will help, but it's a situation that will bear regular monitoring in case the lizards upgrade their capabilities.




The year before the vote, so this won't help us there -- but with 14 planets at 20M more each, this is a significant boost. The next choice is between Controlled Radiated Environment and Soil Enrichment. Both will very much be helpful but the sooner we get Radiated tech the better.




As anticipated, INT-986 is our foe here instead of Kaxal. Given his xenophobic tendencies that's a bit problematic.

** Sakkra(5) -- INT-986, as expected given their alliance.
** Klackons(5) -- Redwing. Oh, how the winds have changed. Politics makes strange bedfellows and all that. And this is just half of the voting power the bugs previously possessed.
** Bulrathi(4) -- Abstain.
** Mrrshan(4) -- Abstain.
** Meklar(7)

Look at how evenly the galaxy is distributed now! We have 9 votes, a number I expect to be significantly higher next time around. With the count 12-5 out of 34 possible, we can just barely be the smarmy manipulators you all know and ... well, you all know. We vote INT-986, leaving the Meklar one vote shy of victory and the Klackons scratching their heads. It's a vote for extending peace.

I'll probably throw another update up tomorrow given how short this one was, to move things forwards with a little more substance.