Part 46: Episode IV: Conclusion

Episode IV: Conclusion




I thought this was interesting: we are now at the point where, having once had the largest empire in the galaxy, size is now our weakest aspect.




Maintenance/spying now sucks 42% of our resources. When that reaches 50%, we'll head to Orion. I don't think we'll have enough to succeed, but there is no other option that presents more hope.




With almost 50 bases, Tao is one of our most-defended planets. Only a few bases were lost, as we took out their colony ship before it's plasma torpedoes could do much damage. That last sentence is quite hilarious to me.

The bio-terminators on their cruisers took out several million citizens, but it was an easy defense overall. They hit Obaca the year after, where the fleet is mustering. That was a mistake: we were able to add a lot more firepower, and 10 more Bulrathi cruisers bit the dust. Can't tell you how good it is to actually be fighting them off some, even in a hopeless cause. I would have recorded the fight if I knew what they'd do -- their 'Tooth' shipos retreated to the corner and tried to outlast the missiles from our ships. It took around half, which isn't good news for our odds of having enough firepower to take down the Guardian.




Sigh. The 'black arts' attrition just never freaking ends.




It's been a while, but we get another chance at espionage here. This isn't what we want, and most enemy designs by this point will make it of limited use.

We recapture Tao, and in 2557 it's time to make our attack. I don't expect much. 8 cap ships, 42 cruisers. Maybe if they had torpedoes instead of limited-supply missiles. Whatever -- we'll give it a shot anyway. Not like there's anything to lose ..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLFB6cDHKbg



Yep. Not even close. With the shielding, it just is too well-protected. We'd need probably three times the ships we can put together to have a chance.

Ok, so now what? If we could somehow invade a system or two, maybe we can fight back a bit, steal some tech from the Republic ... there are some small ones nearby with no bases.




We'll try here first. Meanwhile any excess production is getting thrown back into research, which we haven't done since we lost Whynil decades ago. Starting from scratch, but if we did manage to get that planetary shield somehow it would be a big boost ...




Oh that's good ... they didn't have enough of an edge already.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCfn3Sh0SaA



LOL. Our first wave. We literally don't have enough tech to even damage them. I was expecting to have to throw a lot of rocks into the grinder, but figured we eventually steal some crappy tech, maybe equalize things a hair ... nope. The Alkari showed up with a fleet to decimate ours before we could get any further.

Ok. We can't take Orion. No matter the resources or undefended target we can't invade, so we're right back to 'no point in having a fleet'. Aside from the continual rebuilding of factories and missile bases, it would seem the best course is to put an obscene amount of resources into the espionage efforts.




How that's for obscene? I've never gone to this extreme before, even as Darloks, but why the heck not. We won't be able to build much of anything, but it's going to be a lot more fruitful than trying to do the research ourselves.




After retreating a couple more times with their bugged doom-stacks, the Sakkra take Obaca with 37 Banshee-class destroyers. Umm, ok. We took down a whole seven of them. Klackon spies blew up 52 factories right before the incineration, presumably out of spite.

Six left.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36xUt5JWTqg



2565. That's how our most-fortified planet fared when the Sakkra decided to actually attack. Might be the shortest vid of this LP. Soon the Psilons intoned that 'the Silicoid Empire is weak and will soon be eliminated.'

Quite right they are. The end is nigh. At this point the situation is so absurd that I would hit the 'surrender' button. If there was one.

A couple years later they hit three systems simultaneously with sabotage, which in this case is now a majority of the 'empire'.




Our last world of more than 75M. Four crappy planets left. The massive espionage push has yielded not a damn thing. This is followed-up by 60 factories going away on Drakka and Kakata. Enough already. Just kill me now.

Please.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AztHQPfX8yo



Herculis is eliminated by Psilon strike craft. We can't even touch their fighters now. Superb. I'm upset when the Alkari retreat from Kakata the following year.

At least time passes quickly now. It doesn't take long to check three systems to be sure their ultimately pointless production is going to the right places, then click 'Next Turn'.




Oh those poor Vulcans. Hope Spock is ok ... erm, wrong scifi. Doh. Then Kakata rebels, and I'm literally not sure we have enough people to retake it.




Finally, another tech chance ... and we get the stupid planetary shield! MOO is trolling me, I know it. What the heck is the point now??




Takes several years to get there, and we barely manage it. The next year, two different races blow up factories on Drakka. That's something new. At this point, without much left, they're pretty much constantly targeting all of our systems. And yet they refuse to land the final blows.




The birds sent 1 colony ship, and 1 fighter(which we destroyed) for this operation. The insults continue. It is now 2590. Soon afterwards, Kakata finishes a Class XV Planetary Shield. That should go down as our last noteworthy accomplishment as a species. Or it would, if all memory of us was not soon to be eradicated.




Two left, and we are now at the point of absurdity where we can't build factories as fast as they are blown up. It's gone from suck to blow, we've hit rock bottom(Silicoids ... rock ... hehe ... nm) and kept on digging, pick your stupid catchphrase.

And then, in the year 2599, just before our third century as a galactic empire ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ERIGU8xDTs



One wonders what took them so long. I don't even get the 'honor' of being glassed from orbit. A fitting end to what is without question the most thoroughly humiliating arse-kicking I've ever played out to the end. It takes a big man to admit that this is really an appropriate finish to this epic parade of fail.

I am not a big man.

Here's hoping for better things next time around. I've yet to lose(or win) consecutive endeavors, and it could hardly get worse .... could it?