Part 166: Episode XVI: 2400

What he said. It's an amusing idea, but the erratic thing doesn't actually impact the voting.

Episode XVI: 2400 -





It really is a unique thing playing against the Psilons. Less than half our number of planets(although they are all standard so probably fairly good ones) and they continue to out-research us.




The distribution will return to normal soon once we get what we're gunning for right now.




Most of the production is going into research, but missile base defenses and the reserve are getting a bit of attention as well. Everything is pretty well-developed at this point. Trade is starting to become a significant boon, and we need to have an economy at 2.4k or higher before being able to boost it more.




We could land there if it wasn't out of range(9 parsecs, limits of our scouts). A good defense of Zhardan eliminates a sizable Klackon force at minimal cost. We're holding so far. To get to Maretta, we need to snag those two dead systems along the bottom of the galaxy.




Here's a closer look. We're aiming to add up to five systems now(two Toxic(P) which are both rich, two Dead(E), and then the newly-discovered Tundra(U)). It'll take us quite a while to get to them all, since we are still on snail-slow Retro engines. Then again, so are the Klackons, and the Mrrshan/Psilon are on Nuclear so we aren't THAT far behind the curve yet.




That'll only take a couple years or so. We've got this.




For once this is actually true(though they've done more suffering than we have). But sure thing. Their leader calls himself Ixitixl, apparently because he doesn't know many letters. A minimal 25 BC trade deal is signed, my usual 'just to have one' agreement with erratic powers.

I stop the espionage efforts that I had just started a couple years ago, and which yielded nothing.




Now we're in business. We need four of these; Maretta can be handled, once we get within range, by the one spare Tundra-capable ship I've had floating around in space for decades. The next choice is Soil Enrichment or Bio Toxin Antidote. The Psilons already have death spores on their ships, which makes this a pretty tough call between two valuable techs that we will not be getting for quite a while. I think the economy is the way to go here, and opt for Soil Enrichment. Either one could potentially come back to bite us.

We've lost contact again with the Klackons; they've lost Tao, their closest system. I'd investigate and try to snag it if I wasn't already rather busy elsewhere. Toxic colonizers aren't cheap; it'll take 3-5 years each, so close to a decade until we start seeing results. That's a long time, and the Psilons have recently grabbed Radiated landings so nothing is safe from them. The race is on, and it's even more important to prevent the eggheads from expanding than it is to do so ourselves.




Ok. So you bothered to come talk to us in order to make it clear that you don't want to talk to us. Heard.




Thanks to the joy of MOO alliances, I thought they were in the lower-right as that's where I kept seeing their ships early on. Nope. That one in the middle is Tao. If they hold it, the Klackons have only Kholdan and maybe they get wiped out. That would actually bad, since then everyone would have to find someone else to fight

Of course, I'd hope for and nominate the Mrrshan, but you never know. The cybernetics are Xenophobic Expansionists. They hate everyone and want to take their territory. That's a good combo for being at war with them, which I don't want. A max trade deal is summarily rejected by M5-35. The vital secrets of Deep Space Scanner and Hydrogen Fuel Cells convince them to sign it shortly afterwards. Then they say 'we expect you have come to offer amends' shortly before signing a Non-Aggression Pact.

They aren't making a whole lot of sense, but at least we're off on the right foot. The only thing they're willing to trade us is range tech worse than what we already have, unfortunately. It's been a really bad game for tech trades; I haven't gotten a single useful one yet. Good thing we are doing well on other fronts.




The very next year, as the Mrrshan snag Tao now. We'll lose the trade deal but the NAP should stay in force. That could be useful later on.




Things are getting hairy diplomatically. Meanwhile our first pair of toxic-capable Colonizers are finished and depart for their destinations.




Also in 2306, I sign this in response to a larger transport force headed to Berel. This should get them off our case, at least for now. Their only war is with the Klackons, who are no longer a real issue.

The next year, Class III Deflectors arrive, and Class IV are up next. No choices yet in that entire tree, no planetary shields ... it's a good thing we haven't needed them. Then comes Robotics III, which has a very short prototype phase; we had about a 1 in 16 chance of getting this when it arrived. I'm not complaining. Should get us close to the point of boosting our trade agreements again. Improved Space Scanner is the only choice and I'm quite happy with that. Also(2308 here), the last colonizer heads out from Berel.

It is now time to wait ... and hope.




43M to 40M at the start. Some people just don't know when to quit.




They are faster than us ... but we are almost there. The white star is Toxic, the blue on uninhabitable. Nice of them to send their colony ships out this way instead of somewhere closer to them.




We start reaping the rewards in 2412. Those Psilon colonizers arrived the same year. Sorry about your luck -- or actually, not sorry.




Settling a dead world over a century in before anyone else gets to it is really unusual. This is mostly just good fortune, but I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth.




My, it's a festival of rich Toxics! This one is out of range, but we're booming enough that it seems appropriate to build a batteship-sized vessel to claim this. After looking a bit more closely though, I decide against that. We're almost to the point of fitting it on a cruiser hull; 410 space required, 390 available, and we've got a new construction tech coming in soon. That might get us over the hump. Better to wait.




So far we haven't lost a one.







And another possibility.




Let's get ready to say hello to some new temporary friends.




Pure hubris. Aggressive Ecologists, allied with the Psilons, and we sign a nice big trade deal with them.




Picture's now basically complete. I'm puzzled why the Psilons haven't been more aggressive with their colony ships, and I want to check out those purple stars on the right, but the Mrrshan remain the largest rival with everyone else being kept in check quite well. This is really turning out very well for Bullux's Bulrathi.




For Class III Deflectors. Finally, we have a better engine. The Sakkra and Psilons have some cool toys, but they want Robotics III for them. There's nothing we need bad enough to give that up.




Battle Suits and Merculite Missiles arrive at the same time. Industrial Tech 6 is the highly unexciting first pick, and here it's time to start thinking about a fleet. I think the Fusion Beam will work nicely, and I can come back for a bomb or the Stingers later if I feel like it.




We don't have much, but this is just to show that I was able to put on the reserve tanks on some colonizers now. They'll get there a lot faster with the new nuclear-powered engines as well. We've got at least those two targets in the upper-left, and ships are headed to scout out five more systems so I'll probably get a couple spares in the pipeline here just to be ready.




14 now.




Their economy isn't big enough to boost trade any further, but hey we get their relatively piddling support here now. The galaxy only gained a single vote in the last cycle.




They aren't nearly big enough to keep us from winning this diplomatically ... if we can swing enough of the others our way at some point. Meanwhile the Klackons are nearly irrelevant, but they support is based on the fact that we aren't at war with them anymore. Everyone else is.




Their unlikely alliance with the cats will need to be broken, one way or the other.




Interesting. They've been on our side till now.

We have eight. That means this time I can vote for Shandra without consequence. The galaxy remains divided but honestly right now I think it's a case of when Bullux ascends to the throne, not if. I have to think the Mrrshan eventually do their usual stupid suicidal attack on the wrong person after the bugs are eventually eliminated, and we should be able to take control in the aftermath. I might just have to wait for it.