Part 96: Episode IX: 2375 - 2400
Episode IX: 2375-2400
5th out of five, with the potential to perhaps slide into third behind the Humans and Psilons. In other words, it still ain't looking good for the home team.
** Psilons(10) -- Gee, imagine them running away with it. AGAIN.
** Humans(7)
** Sakkra(5)
** Bulrathi(4)
** Mrrshan(2)
If not for the eggheads doing their thing here, we'd be in the thick of it.
NAP with the Human-Mrrshan alliance, but at war with the Bulrathi still and we need to get peace ASAP before they bring in the Psilons against us. Nothing else matters in comparison.
I really want to cram those words down his throat. But we can't. Yet.
I offer ECM I and the Hand Lasers -- they 'respectfully decline' our peace offer. Ok how about Terraforming +10M. Cool, thanks ... but 'we don't think your offer is a fair one'.
"Pardon us, but our time is at an end". Good grief. Three techs and they still won't sign. They are now up to Wary -- I think one more will do it. If we can get 'em to speak to us again before it all goes south. Aggravating thing is, they may just go to war with us again the next year after ... but there simply is no choice. We won't survive a war with the Psilons. We do sign a trade boost with them to 225 BC -- not quite double the current amount but any little bit of relations boost there will be welcomed.
Range is coming next, but nothing is imminent. Those fuel cells will do us no good at this point. I continue the risky, yet arguably necessary plan of virtually ignoring missile-base defenses; I want to get Robotics first.
2377. Knew it was probably coming. Did everything I could to prevent it. Didn't matter. Sigh. Guess I'd better start building bases(too late) and preparing my memoirs. Even better, I discover that the Bulrathi are now allied with the Humans as well. We could literally be getting crushed by everyone soon.
Our colony ship and the Psilons arrive at the same time. Theirs is armed. Ours isn't. Although I might have lost it anyway, I think I screwed up here in not sending a least a token military force at this point giving how limited our territory is and how limited the options are for increasing it. You never know if that's going to be enough, but it's a situation where I likely should have tried.
Time for that Picard double-facepalm GIF ... 2381 is the next year, and an unidentified spy blows up a missile base. That's a third of our total defense. We offer peace to the Bulrathi, and they tell us to shove it despite also handing over Controlled Dead Environ. They are allied with the Humans, Psilons with the Mrrshan, so everyone is either an enemy or an ally of an enemy. We do manage to get the Mrrshan-Psilon one voided, but that's the only diplomatic success. And the least important goal as well.
More Bulrathi diplomacy -- Red Waste 80% is our last thing we can offer them. Relations are up to Neutral. They still freaking refuse. The Psilons are willing to talk, pocket two crappy techs, and say 'that's nice but we're still going to eradicate you until nothing is left but subatomic particles'. Not a direct quote, but that's pretty much what Dynalon had to say. Up from Discord to Restless. Big whup. A couple years later, we try to get an alliance with the Mrrshan. No dice.
At least this is a fake war so far. Nobody is actually attacking us.
2387. First of our next round of advances comes in. This wasn't what I was expecting to come first. It's Scatter Pack Vs or the Mass Driver, and we go with the cheaper and, for now, more important missiles.
Enhanced Eco Restoration is in, which should be a decent boost to the economy. Here we can see that Radiated Landings are not going to be a thing for us: Bio-Toxin Antidote is in that same tier. So I think we're best off getting Toxic, just in case it somehow becomes useful, before moving forward.
Let's hear it for the RNG!! The Psilons also proposed a peace treaty, which we readily accepted. Despite 'Relaxed' relations though, they decline a max trade deal(would have been 300 BC). Hopefully we can rectify that soon. Only the Bulrathi remain at war with us, still a concern because of their Human allies. We hand over the just-acquired Eco Restoration, upping relations to Neutral. And the Bears still refuse to deal with us.
Improved Industrial Tech 8 arrives. Only Automated Repair moves things along here.
Third advance in as many years. There's only option here as well, but it's a most welcome one: Class V Planetary Shields.
Four-for-four. We'll go with the scanner here as we get Robotics 3 in ... while the Bulrathi are getting aggravated with us again. I try for trade with the Psilons again, and am refused again.
Takes a few more years to get the new fuel cells in, completing this wave of research as the 24th century approaches its conclusion. Sublight Drives it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h_...eature=youtu.be
Good news is they'll need a lot more than that to whittle down our population. Bad news is that with Bulrathi ground force bonuses, they won't need to.
This might be the first time we've seen an Alkari nomination for the Council. It's certainly pretty rare.
** Alkaris -- 6 votes
** Humans -- 9
** Bulrathi -- 4 for Bladrov II
** Psilons -- 6 for Bladrov II. I expect they'll be back in the saddle next time around.
** Mrrshan -- 2 for Bladrov II.
** Sakkra -- 5. We abstain.
That's, uh, really close. This almost mercifully ended here. 65.6% of the galaxy sided with the Humans.