Part 40: Episode IV: 2408 - 2424

Episode IV: 2408-2424

Duralloy Armor was next to hit, with Automated Repair System another only-choice selection. Getting a lot of those. Yay crappy research!

2412 brings Death Spores: +30M Terraforming(20M better than what we have) is, you guessed it, the only choice. It's also time for another round of base-building. The average border world has 3-4 missile bases; I'll up that to around 5-6. Of course it won't matter all THAT much if we don't get a better missile to shoot soon. Currently, we are still using the same nuclear missiles we had over a century ago. That's pretty epic lameness.




Now, just because I couldn't think of anything better to put in a screenshot and I wanted to break up my random blathering on, pay attention to Kakata and Volantis here. The Sakkra are up to 7-parsec range, Klackons at 6 according to intelligence. We are of course still at a pathetic 4 ... but both of those systems are sizable and will be in range of the bugs soon it looks like, probably just outside of it right now. Too close for comfort, and I'll add them to the list of planets needing defense. All of this means a required reduction in research for a bit. Ended up being just over half of our normal tech output getting the axe.

Meanwhile, Darrian is still clear -- the Psilons sent one cruiser decades ago and have not returned, for reasons unknown -- and our settlement task force is five years out.

On queue, the next year brought a low-probability breakthrough(1 in 16 chance) of the Ion Rifle. Yay. And for weapons ...




STILL no new missile options. That's bloody freaking superb. I've half a mind to go back and get crappy Hyper-Vs. And yeah, I'm gonna do just that. If it's a waste of time, it's a waste of not much since they cost less than a tenth of our new choices and do 50% more damage than the nuclears. Of course that only makes them a third less hideously inaccurate ... but it's the choice we have. Incidentally, this means we missed out on Hyper-X, Scatter Pack V, Merculite, and my favored Stingers. Four straight missile options not available. Go stagnant moronic Silicoids!

Then the choice will be between the last two there and there isn't much cost difference. Might as well snag the Graviton Beam, can always come back for bombs down the road if I need them but that could prove useful in a future combat.

2416, and Sublight Drives arrive. This brings up an actual choice:




There aren't a lot of systems left, and there will be even fewer by the time we would get the fuel cells here. The range would be quite helpful though. I decide it's worth the expense, though the Energy Pulsar is well worth considering at about 70% the cost.




I'm not sure why this was still available. All that really matters is that it is though. Our first new acquisition in decades.

The red and blue stars directly below it are within scouting range now. The red one has a Sakkra destroyer in orbit -- that won't stop us settling it with a NAP, but clearly they are expressing some manner of interest here. We can now build colony ships with reserve tanks on a cruiser hull, so I figured it was best to get a couple of them with our latest Warp 3 engines going just in case we could snag either of those.

Most of the bases are up and running, and research is the focus once again.

A couple years later, Battle Computer V came in. We had options for another one or ECM, and went the Jammer route as it was cheaper. Then this ...




An actual decent planet. If we can get there first, we're definitely taking it. Time to start shifting some extra population to Drakka in advance of that.




Small for now, but in a century or so with the right terraforming this could be a big producer. Then, the year before the next vote, an ominous portent ...




Not only are we not going to withdraw, but we are nearly to the first new system. There are fleets from multiple races around those planets, but it looks like we are winning the race here as everyone scrambles to grab up the remaining bits. Relations have been slightly declining despite our agreements with all three rivals ... tensions are definitely on the rise. They just decided to put it in words first.




Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, eggheads! Of course they could take it any time they damn well please, which hopefully they don't until we can get some defenses in place.




The High Council returns with eight more votes this time around. The bugs got two of the increase, and sided with Zygot once more.



+3 to 16 for the Psilons.




That's not good. The birdbrains may have just handed this over to our mortal enemy.




Really?




Yep. Everyone unified against us, and it's enough to put them over the top. Defiantly Carnax uses his 14 votes to select himself. 5 short of what we needed for a veto.




In terms of the LP, this actually works out well, because there's only one ending type we haven't yet seen. When the vote went against us before(first Klackon game, Ep. II), I accepting the ruling and the defeat that came with it. This time, we say NO.




'The wrath of the New Republic.' In case you didn't get the memo here, it's not looking real good for the home team.