Part 42: Episode IV: 2450 - 2474
The Downfall Continues as I try to fight off a healthy head cold. Tis' the season ...Episode IV: 2450-2474
I try not to look at this screen much. It's depressing, and there's nothing I can do about it right now.
We've had only one espionage success, but we've been at it less than a decade.
Going nowhere and getting there fast until we complete the factory buildup, then we'll finish up the next robotics and do another, smaller expansion. We need more time to complete that process, time we may or may not be given. Weapons research is nowhere close, and won't get any further in the interim.
Three years straight. Next cycle they take three bases on Kakata. The next year we get a reprieve, and Tau Cygni, our one rich planet, finishes it's buildup and starts funneling cash into the reserve. Our more productive planets will get an influx from this and hopefully wrap up soon.
Another shot at Klackon tech ... we nab the Neutron Pellet Gun. Dang it. I decide to alternate between Computers(improving our success rate in theory) and Weapons(the missiles we need) until we die or get what we need. Interestingly there were a couple fields where they didn't have anything we could steal. Not sure how that's possible, but whatever.
2454, and we have met the Bulrathi! Met is an exaggeration. No first contact greeting, not even to inform us they will be obliterating our subatomic particles in due time.
Note how they have no territory and are still much stronger than us. Yay.
Most important part about this is giving us someone else to potentially steal tech from. 1 in 12 credits goes to that effort empire-wide, which may be too much, and it may be not enough.
Apparently they were gifted Gienah on the right side. In unrelated news, after just two years of massive transfers the planetary reserve has been drained. We'll funnel a bit from year to year into Quayal, but that's all that can be done now. It helped, and Cryslon for example is only a few years away from maxing out.
Sometimes you must stand up and applaud. Normally the AI targets border systems as we've seen, but this is a backwater. And an important one, our only Rich world as I've mentioned and as such, the one that's funneling money into the reserve. Every once in a while, you see a really nice touch like this with some clear thinking behind it.
And then you swear at the dozens of millions of citizens who will be required to put down this threat, citizens you will take freaking decades to replace.
And the galaxy continues ...
2457. Latest pilfer, once again from the bugs who seem to be our only successful mark. It'll help give us earlier warning, along with the computing benefits.
Oh, and they blew up two bases on Drakka. The only two it has. Yawn. But we did recapture Tau Cygni -- and sent too many troops so some of them are going back. Better safe than sorry though, and the reserve work can commence once more. Probably just as importantly, Cryslon has maxed out on factories and a couple others should follow shortly. Research efforts should slowly ramp up here ... and it's been very quiet in terms of direct attacks. I've been in a lot of Final Wars before where a lot of the territory was gone by now. We aren't complaining, but it is unusual.
Note: they really don't like Tau Cygni. I got the memo a long time ago, guys. No, really. Volantis is next to finish up their industrial expansion meanwhile.
This lizard fleet is six years out from Zhardan, a mid-sized border system. First time they've bothered attacking us. Here's the thing; we have that long to steal a better missile or say good-bye to another colony. We also might steal said missile and still say good-bye to it, but at least we'd put up more of a fight. That's pretty much the thing here.
Ditto with this bug fleet which includes obscene amount of strike craft to Rana. Been nice knowing ya.
Another year, and Tao joins the research queue. Tick-tock. A few dozen Sakkra destroyers are headed for the small system of Darrian, which only has four bases. I almost don't care who wins that, but it looks like the New Republic might be finally picking up the pace here.
2461, and we've now reached critical mass with five more systems finishing their run of factories. It won't last long with the new robotics having just entered the prototype phase:
Starting to make progress on some other projects as well but none of them are going to help much. Weapons continues to crawl along; we need more massive investment to make that go anywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HDgfBoK1T8
Ah! It speaks!! Note that there is actually no in-game surrender option. The most absurd tech situation I think I've ever seen though; shooting Hyper-V Rockets at ships with neutronium bombs and a freaking cloaking device. It's like trying to hit a stealth bomber with a bow and arrow or a rock from a slingshot. How pathetic. How truly utterly appalling. It's where we are.
The beginning of the end has arrived. The Klackons are coming for Quayal, our research center. Then the Sakkra decide to blow up 21 more factories on Tau Cygni, just because they can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDx_lOy6vPk
This is 2465: a heavy blow here. Three planets destroyed, three dozen factories blown up on two other worlds. The Psilons entreat us to 'Surrender to the New Republic and save yourselves anymore suffering'.
19 systems remain. Another two years, in 2467, we nab Robotics V and the Omega-V Bomb.
ECM Jammer VII is the only one to move things forward. Once again we get nothing that can be fired by our missile bases. This basically eliminates what little hope remained. That's six consecutive missile techs that we haven't gotten. There's five weapons in the next tier and we have only the Tachyon Beam as a choice. The most expensive of the five. Superb. Another cycle, and Tauri is destroyed.
And just to add to the joy, factories are now costing well over 20 BC each due to our lack of the construction tech and the robotic controls required. We haven't been able to improve the costs much either.
2471 here. Sure, why not -- you've hit me just about everywhere else. The next year, the first several planets max out again and it's time to divert to building more paper-weight-quality bases or research, depending on location.
The attacks have stopped for the moment, though the other races have pretty much occupied all the systems where our holdings were destroyed. I get the feeling another wave is coming, and we're not close to being to put up any more resistance. The Silicoid Empire has all the appearance of a terminally ill patient simply waiting to be euthanized ...