Part 68: Episode VI: 2600 - 2625

Episode VI: 2600-2625




Already the Alkari and Mrrshan are shrinking somewhat. I expect that process to accelerate and come to a rather rapid conclusion. We will continue to take all reasonable steps to ensure that we come out of this conflict as strong as possible. To the point that has been made about long-term balance, look at the tech situation. Nobody dramatically ahead of anyone else, three centuries in. I literally don't think I've ever seen that before.




We aren't exactly soulmates with the Silicoids and Bulrathi, but solid allies of convenience. That may not last much longer than the current war.




Some quite important stuff is coming in. Once the new battle computer is in we'll do a ship redesign. Should get terraforming soon as well, along with a couple of other goodies.




We're not building any ships right now due to the maintenance situation; all four rich systems are dumping into the reserve with massive annual transfer payments to research. That'll stop once we can build better ships(any time now).

2601 was another momentous year. Battle Computer Mk VII came in -- we'll go with the ECM of the same rank as the only forward-looking option. Meanwhile Altair and Fierias, former homeworlds of our once-allies and now-enemies, were colonized and added to the human empire. I now need to formulate a population-spreading plan; it won't be long until these new worlds have nearly 200 million inhabitants. They will become significant centers of whatever it is we need them to be.




There's lots to look at here. Right now all the normal stuff of building up border defenses etc. is getting thrown out the window. Along with the two homeworld systems we just took, Primodius and Obaca are also ripe for the taking. Like these two were, they are worlds that have been fought over and have minimal populations. Essentially what's going on here is that our allies are taking out the Mrrshan and Alkari worlds, then we get our people to them, and since we're allied they aren't going to fight us for them so they move on to the next enemy target. Lather, rinse, repeat, as far as it will take us.

As I mentioned we also need people here. Right now just your basic 2M each on Altair and Fierias. Jinga has just 10M, it's current max, and it's a long way back to more. Whatever our empire produces for the next few years is secondary and nearly irrelevant. The closest systems to this frontier will throw as much population as can usefully be sent in this direction. The ones behind them will send transports to fill them up. Etc. The goal is a massive population transfer that gives us enough at the front to do invasions if necessary or build up our new territories quickly once the dust settles otherwhise. We want to come out of this a lot closer to the Silicoids in territory. The nebula complicates things considerably, because our transports will move a lot slower there -- we've got to send them around to the right in many situations, slowing things up.




The new ship design is also done; it's on the bottom here. The battle computer is improved(+3 attack vs. the previous models) and with our latest shield development we splurged for a much better one(Class VII vs. Class II before). Had to take off two hard beams to do it, but the increased accuracy should make up some of the difference there and we'll definitely be a lot more resistant to enemy fire.

We capture Primodius almost immediately, but with the fleet spread thin the Alkari are able to take and hold Obaca for a bit.




High-Energy Focus is in, and we'll go for the new engines here. Obaca falls the next year, though the Alkari bombard Altair as we didn't have enough there to defend it. With no other immediate action in the area, it looks like the expansion is over with for the moment.

It's 2605, and if we can maintain our current holdings and eventually consolidate, here's how things look




Those two Alkari systems near our cluster in the center both have significant numbers of bases. We aren't breaking through those without help.

** Silicoids -- 17
** Humans -- 17(tied for the lead now!)
** Bulrathi -- 11
** Meklar -- 9
** Alkari -- 6
** Mrrshan -- 4

The smaller races are far from dead, but we've got plenty of work to go securing this new territory. And there's no time to lose in doing so -- the peace may already be breaking.




Once this Meklar invasion force arrives, the diplomatic winds may well change. For much of the past half-century or so, there hasn't been a lot of micro needed. The slow growing etc. Then we made peace with the Silicoids and everything broke loose. There's going to be a lot of careful slider adjustments and monitoring of enemy movements and situations for a while here no matter what.




New armor and terraforming advances are in. Here we're going to go with Advanced Damage Control(30% repair of surviving ships each turn). Powered Armor and cheaper factories also have some arguments in their favor, but making our ships more survivable trumps that right now IMO. We'll also work on adding another 20M to our planets with Terraforming +100M.




2607. This is most of what's there. The Alkari had sent part of their fleet after Jinga, and so we reinforced there which left this more vulnerable. The planets are packed close together so we don't have warning before they arrive, and we can't defend all of them in enough force to defend them. It's a constant chess game each year that we will eventually win with sheer force -- but blows like this hurt development for sure.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxwxb1IHgrA



The next year was not a good one for either side really, but better for us. We narrowly fought them off at Altair and won this battle at Jinga, but then Primodius was destroyed. Their transports to Altair were also defeated. As long as we keep the bigger systems, I'll be reasonably happy. We can restart on the smaller ones later. Our rich systems completed the lastest missile base ramp-up the same year(almost to the largely arbitrary limit of 100 that I'm still sticking with now, in the 90s for the bigger ones), and they'll get our most recent design flowing in bigger numbers to the front. We only had four of them at Jinga, but they should be a lot more resistant to their weapons.

In 2611, the Primodius colony was re-established. The Bulrathi narrowly fought off the Meklar invasion at Quayal, with 8M left. At least for now, they are still at peace. There are no more apparent attacks on any front. We may have to handle the unpleasantries ourselves if we wish to make further gains -- but for now, consolidating still gives us plenty to do. The next year that is proven as another Alkari attack at Altair is barely driven off -- and I think they could have gotten us, but they retreated mid-battle.

They're back a year later, but we defeat them. They are only interested in attacking our older ships, and are doing relatively minimal damage so I think our new models will be all but invincible. Trade deals are bumped up across the board by about 50%, now at 2225BC each. We're still the smallest economy. Another cycle, in 2614, the Alkari and Mrrshan both want peace. They ask us to break our agreements with the Bulrathi. Nope.




A few years later, the Alkari send almost every ship they have in the area to Jinga. This is a little easier to counter, as we redirect all ours there as well. We've got a few bases up but not enough to make a real difference, and of course shields won't operate in the nebula.

In 2616 we easily defeated this attack. Our position should now be fairly secure on this frontier.




Unfortunate. It is 2618. With that having happened, the Alkari and Mrrshan try again, asking us to break off with the Meklar as well. Not gonna happen.




We do manage this, which should keep the Bears at the very least neutral in the Council, and probably favoring us still.




Ultra Poor is not ideal of course, but this could eventually be a big world population-wise and therefore good for research. It used to belong to the Bulrathi, but was just destroyed by the Mrrshan. With no incoming attacks at the moment, we send in ships to secure it. When we arrived, the Mrrshan were no longer there, but Alkari and Bulrathi were. We had enough to defeat both of them, claiming Rana for the Human Empire in 2619.




We're not your friends, idiots. The Mrrshan sent exactly the same message. Meanwhile the Bulrathi and Silicoids are fighting over nearby Quayal, yet remain at peace for the time being.




2621. The final word in planetary protection has arrived. Class XV Deflectors, which I believe fill that same distinction for ships, will be next up. Most of our systems have finally maxed-out again after the terraforming and population transfers some while back, and should be able to have these up in a couple of years. There are three more research projects that are around the midway point, but none that are expected anytime soon.

The miniaturization achieved here allows us to pack either a better shield on our ships or up the firepower from 6 to 8 hard beams. I opt for the second option, as we've been doing well in combat lately. More weapons means ending things more quickly and taking fewer losses. Maintenance is hanging around at just over 30% -- we've been losing a few of the older designs here and there, and haven't had to scrap anything yet.




We pick off another one in 2623; a former Silicoid world destroyed by the Bulrathi. A bunch of planetary shields are completed that year as well, including the one of Fierias. That signals that we're starting to really secure out foothold in the centre. Guaradas is radiated, but fully terraformed already at 110M max, so it's still significant.

Just ahead of the next vote, we got a visit from a new Silicoid dreadnought, the Polaris. It can take a ton of punishment, and has the feared BioTerminator. It's weapons aren't particularly well-configured to battle our ships, but we'll need a lot of cruisers to take it down. We had 11 in position, not nearly enough. This was at Altair; concurrent attacks took place at Obaca(destroying the colony with their bioweapons), Jinga(where we defeated them), and Guradas(narrowly fought them off). Altair was destroyed in the follow-up bombardment, wasting all our hard work there.

I have to say I'm impressed. A surprise attack simultaneously co-ordinated on four fronts. We lose two planets and it could easily have been worse. Thanks a lot, 'allies'.




Argh. All new ships will be redirected here.




A lot more people in the galaxy, even with our recent losses. And fewer Silicoids; we aren't going to win this, but they can no longer hold veto authority.




Up by one, but we've largely cut them off from playing a major role in proceedings, and they've also aggressively sat on their cybernetic behinds.




Interesting. Still a strong third, and I thought they might abstain. They don't like either one of us right now even though our agreements remain in force at the moment. Apparently they really don't like us, inasmuch as we've blown up a bunch of their ships recently.




The rocks are dangerously close to winning here ...




Two votes away from losing. We have 18, one fewer than the rocks and one more than the bears, and abstain. How quickly things shift. Looking great a year before, and we almost lose.

The Silicoids notify us that they 'regret the necessity', but our Alliance is over. No crap. This has been one roller-coaster game. I was all prepared to write here about how great things are going for humanity and it's all over but the paperwork, the galaxy will soon be ours ... well that may happen, but it's far from certain with this turn of events.