Part 20: Turns 181-191

New Beta patch! Apparently this will stop the Loa AI from slowboating fleets at my worlds. Three cheers for ddub!

Turn 181



The increasing energy requirements of our new weapons mean that we need to wrest more power from our existing generators. Previously, we have only been able to utilise older fission power supplementary generators, as getting sufficient feedstock into a modern fusion drive has proven an insurmountable problem. Without any 'inspiration' from captive minds, our Inquisitors have fallen back on a traditional Zuul approach: throw more slaves at the problem. However, this new design, which involves using slaves to chuck shovelfuls of hydrogen atoms into a nuclear furnace, has proven very successful. Our Inquisitors profess themselves amazed that something that works against what we know of physics actually functions, but apparently the sheer belief our captains have in the efficacy of slaves is a factor. Initial experiments found a negative relationship between slaves and being exposed to an incandescent fireball, but since each slave has been issued with a sheet of tinfoil to cover their chest, losses have dropped to an acceptable level.

This technology allows us to update our Scout range of designs to use new weapons without losing firepower.

The Empire embarks on an orgy of shipbuilding. New defensive fleets are built at Gotham and Dorsai, while at Ixion a new generation of missile platforms complements the Shoeless. At Flinx and Dosadi, new combat ships are brought online to bring a final end to Customer impudence.

Turn 182

The Humans send another colony fleet in an attempt to bypass Dosadi. This time, they account for our Raptors by deploying Emitter technology.



Our War Astronomers applaud them for trying.



At Ixion, the Internet utilises a weapon we have not seen before. We expect these are the Fusion Torpedos whose outline we have already acquired.



They have also decided to try to match our Missile Boats in volume, if not efficacy.



Incredibly, they have also decided to test the mettle of our females by launching their own boarding pods at our vessels, full of some kind of two-legged construct with guns and blades on every limb. They fail, of course, but such boldness is novel from a race dedicated to leaving negative reviews on online shopping facilities.



We destroy seven of their vessels, but they succeed in eliminating five of ours, the closest any of the slave races has ever come to winning an aggressive engagement. Our War Astronomers note that the Internet ships were able to survive an entire round of missile fire from our entire fleet, and anticipate that their armour has been upgraded.

I think earlier in the thread someone said that armour costs Loa cubes. This was patched out a while ago, and their ships are motherfuckers now.



In an effort to reduce the cost of the shipbuilding drive, our Inquisitors have been experimenting with grinding slaves down to a fine paste and using it as an adhesive. The early results have been promising.

Turn 183

Everything is being poured into the shipbuilding rush. Attempts are made to press our males into service, but they prove reluctant.



Turn 184

Our War Astronomers report progress on anticipating Internet incursions. While it would be expected that the Internet fleet would appear in system in the direction from whence it came, it has become apparent that instead it will manifest a gate in advance and appear at that gate, rather than where it is expected to arrive. They have used this information to prepare a welcoming party for an incoming Survey fleet.



Obvious bug is obvious. The Loa, if they deploy a gate in your system, will appear at that gate rather than where they were meant to arrive.

Our males surrender to Greatfather's demands, and begin taking part in industrial production. Having successfully crushed this resistance, Greatfather mandates a new study aimed at gaining a better understanding of the machinations of the Internet.



Turn 185

It would appear that an understanding of The Internet is out of Martin Cirulis's reach.



Note the way in which the text doesn't fit on the window. Note also the big black space to the right. Is it really so had to have a text field extend across a window?

Turn 187

At Dosadi, the Awful Fleet rises again and heads to Earth, to overwhelm the Customer naval station that still orbits the planet.

Killing naval stations takes lots of guns and lots of time, and if you can't do it in one turn, they can repair themselves. However, boarding is relatively quick.

The fate of the station is sealed, as a swarm of women descend upon it.



The good ships of the Awful Fleet acquire a nickname from their crews. It is thought highly apposite.



goonship.png
This trait means the ships turn slower and have a layer of Cheeto dust sprinkled on top of them.

Turn 188



The Inquisitors prove much more amenable to the Greatfather's demands for more production - especially as the new discipline he proposes allows new forms of torture at the molecular level. Apparently it is possible to make an atom scream.

Turn 191

Earth, finally, belongs to the Zuul.



As if to seal our inevitable domination of the galaxy, through a combination of dog biscuits and repeated whipping, we have persuaded our women to become even more proficient at ripping apart our foes than before. Now, before shoving a spike through a face, they can use their limited mental powers to hold that face steady in order to be able to choose which eyeball they go for first.