Part 22: Turns 207-225

ddub has come through with the new version of the patch, which does break saves - but he's provided a way to save them through jigging around with AI designs. This means I've been able to poke around with what the AI has been doing. They're actually deploying their cutting edge tech - they're just really bad at research. Both the Publishers and the Internet aren't actually in a bad strategic position. Amazing I know.

Turn 207

The salvage bounty continues, albeit rather pointlessly in this case:



Mines allow you to build minelayer ships that can create minefields to help defend systems. They're not particularly useful, however.

Our Inquisitors busy themselves with more fruitful tasks.



These allow us to install Deep Scan sections, which can pick up cloaked vessels as well as giving better tactical & strategic scanning range. They also cut survey times.

Turn 208

The next mind-digging session is more useful.



These are an upgrade of the Human Photon Torpedo technology, and have an impressive kick. Greatfather will certainly consider using these in the future.

Turn 209



This technology allows you to build stations in systems where you don't have a colony. It's useful for pushing forward quickly, as well as developing a staging post if you got boned in terms of planets you can colonise. However, it's also useful as a link to...

Turn 210



...Torpedo satellites.

At Ixion, an army of slaves puts the finishing touches to the prototype of our new generation of defensive satellites - the Koriar.



Based on technology salvaged from the Internet, this new platform will enable us to fend off practically any incursion.

You shouldn't use direct fire torpedoes on satellites - they rotate, so they'll always miss. Only use tracking ones.

Turn 211

Prism, one of the last remaining Human colonies, falls to the Horde.



For some reason the Mars engine renders beamer weapons really badly. This has been brought up on Kerberos's forums before, and dismissed. It's a shame, because it's really its only problem.

Turn 212

Only one human stronghold remains, the twin worlds of Lusus. The Lord Windy bursts into its space and spies the final hives of the filthy Customers.



It will not be long now.

Unfortunately, the Lord Windy's escorts are not particularly helpful for this spying.



This reduces scanner distance. Awesome for a scout, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Turn 215

The invasion has begun. The women of the Awful Fleet begin their work.



The defences of the outer planet quickly crumble and once again a swarm of Pvt. Scott fills the skies of a Human world.



The fleet returns to Dosadi to re-arm. They bring with them The Treasure of Qarun.

Turn 216

The Publishers attempt another incursion at Salusa. This, however, a batch of fresh Koriar await them.

Which didn't actually fire because they were slightly too far away. Torpedo sats have a very short range; they need to be positioned basically within the enemy fleet.

Turn 217

The Treasure of Qarun turned out to be less treasure and more trash:



Zuul have no need to armour anything within a ship; once a hull is broken all Zuul have been instructed to hold their breath and remain as inflammable as possible.

One of the trash modules. While it's helpful to prevent critical hits, it's nowhere near as actually useful as other modules that mean your weapons fire faster or your ship dies more slowly. Mind you, in the great scheme of everything that's wrong with SOTS 2, this is pretty insignificant.

Other investigations have borne more interesting fruit. The traditional Zuul method of travel is to lob energy at the universe until it breaks and zoom down the resulting conduit. Years of torturing thousands of victims have given our Inquisitors a much more refined approach to creating injury, and they have used this insight to develop the next stage in Zuul Universe Fucking technology: the RADIANT DRIVE.



Turn 218

In what will hopefully be the last of these historical stupidities, the humans send yet another colony fleet against Dosadi.



Surprisingly, the Boreship present at the battle acquires its class a nickname, as defects in its construction are noted for the first time.



This makes the ship weaker.

Turn 219

At Lusus, the final battle in the War On Customer Service begins. The Humans have constructed a new fleet as their last, desperate gambit to hold the line.



Unfortunately, it is composed of colony ships. Colony ships full of lovely juicy sleeping humans, with whom the women of the Awful Fleet have a jolly time.



The Pvt Scotts descend one final time.



Turn 222

The destruction of the last Human fills the Empire with pride, and our Inquisitors decide the only way to honour this pomp is by wresting the secrets of macro construction from the last Human mind.



A colony fleet is sent to claim Lusus for the Empire, and naval outpost is established. Its sensors pick up unmistakeable Human activity around a nearby star. It appears that, much like vermin, the Humans have crept away into the cracks in the galaxy, and must be wrenched out.

Turn 226

Martin Cirulis, finding the survival of any customers to be a person slight, heads to the site of this supposed human colony. What he finds is troubling.



The Humans survive, and somehow continue to thrive. This cannot be borne. But even more mysteriously, another, fainter signal comes through to the Bloodweaver's mind, one that is strangely familiar.



If you've played The Pit, you'll be familiar with these guys. They're a minor race, and will provide us with a very specific advantage, if we were able to integrate them. And seriously; there was no indication - no fleets sent, nothing - that the Humans had survived at all, until I didn't get the 'Dead Race' message and got suspicious.