Part 141: Episode XIII: 2350

Episode XIII: 2350 -




This thing is for defending any planets within range.




This is for those further away. Ideally I'd like a few of these each on the two tundra systems(Bobcats) and Lynxs at the rich Toxic world. Box pauses for a couple years to build some while Xendalla finishes up on it's run of factories and Abu Dhabi pushes out another wave of recons to join the massive Colonizer heading below our territory. Then Xendalla takes over in 2352 and it's back to the next big cat-carrying crate.




Next choice in Force Fields will be the first one.




Onwards and upwards in our top field. I could go Mass Driver. That could enable an 'early Orion' strategy as noted, though I'm not likely to go for that anytime soon. Instead, I take Scatter Pack V, moving the ladder forward at a much cheaper cost.




This will shake things up in terms of what we can see and visit. Deuterium Fuel Cells also arrives, so we'll move on to nuclear engines.




Being first to this milestone as a combat race? That just doesn't happen on Impossible.




Howdy there future hairballs! It's 2358.




Naturally they've seen our nice tech start and re-raised us. Most importantly though we are a little bigger.




Appears they are boxed in to the lower-right due to a dark-space gap. If we can move into the center-bottom area, we could cut them off completely. Recons are deployed with the goal of doing just that. This far away from our core systems it will be difficult to get any Bobcats or Lynxs in place. But let's see what's there first -- several more systems to scout.




Good to see the Humans aren't off to too fast a star. If the Alkari are truly the most powerful of our foes, this could go well.




Nearly useless.




Really. Really? I'll start trickling a few Bobcats down to Ryoun to try and deter them. Hopefully this will be a typical early fake war.




Best thing we've seen in a while, scouted just as the latest big Colonizer is finished in 2362. A new run of standard ones is up next and this figures to the be the first target.




Right on the edge of Alkari territory. If we ever get any hostile landing tech, this will be desirable. I'd definitely like to picket this.




We've now got something in every field. No imminent threat yet but I start throwing some resources into bases. As hoped, Robotics III is next.




Totally unsurprising that the Sakkra beat us here.




Nope.




Looks like Planetology and our ability to keep rivals away will determine who wins this sector. If we pull it off, I don't think anyone will be able to challenge us. An enormous IF.




This would be a very nice range-extender. It appears it will be either just in, or just out, of our reach once we get to Denubius(red star above and right of this).

2368: I stop the production of Bobcats at 12. We have three Lynx as well. I'd like more, but the cost of maintaining them is rising and there is also the fact that it won't be long before shield technology makes them obsolete as well.




Third race we've run into ... and we just got here so this could be trouble. Yep. A cruiser and two destroyers escorting an armed colony ship. Well, it is almost half the galaxy away from our starting point. This will limit how far we can push though, and there aren't many standard systems ...

Production of new Colonizers is put on hold as a result. This leaves us already with one 'extra' out there.




And more crap. The pressure on hostile landing techs increases.




Second big colonizer is now off the books.




Don't worry, we hate you too. The Empress Narzina is a Xenophobic Diplomat. Shape-shifting diplomats. Ok. They've been busy, signing an alliance with Humans and Sakkra. Which means we don't want them mad at us. A 125-BC trade deal is signed.




Population sucks, just got their fourth system, and technology isn't any better than ours. Nothing to worry about yet.




So most of their territory is in the middle. Sakkra are at the top, Alkari lower-right of course. Boundaries are pretty much set here. I don't think we're going to get anything else unless we can grab up some of the hostile systems. That's what our fleet will focus on protecting. I'll hope to strike a balance between militarizing to that end, and researching the actual ability to colonize them.

7 systems right now, and we'll soon get an 8th. That's going to be it though I think for quite a while.







There's number eight. Now we have the range to scout a few more systems out.