OSG-27: Lumbering Rocks

[RefSteel]

Orrrrrrr I'll stay up way too late again and post 'em tonight instead!

Full in-character report:

2369: Rising slowly through the mantle, its heat sustaining me, firing the stone of my being like a little human kiln fires a feeble, brittle little thing of clay, I hear the songs of the Mountain King and of the great leaders appointed for my people, the Silicoids, and so learn of these humans, these Meklar, these Sakkra, these Psilon brains, all small and soft and squishy things driven by their fear of death, for they are not born of the fiery mantle as am I - as are we. I hear even the distant rumors of Alkari birdlings so frail that the very air can bear them through the sky - but such rumors as these do not concern me. It is my place to make my people a mighty force among the stars - as mighty as we are here at our ancient home of Cryslon - for now there is a change in the song of the Mountain King, and the song now calls to me.

I emerge from a lava pool to the surface of Cryslon, ready to share the heat of the mantle that moves me with all my people across the galaxy. Millions set out across space to our newest, most-vulnerable colonies, like the lava flows that bring the outer surface our world's inner heat. I cast my inner vision across our worlds and our fleets and redeploy them on the tasks to which I think them best suited, where I see the greatest needs and the greatest opportunities. And then I look to more-distant worlds, and I speak on behalf of Old Subterranean Granite XXVII, our Mountain King.



There have been many intimations of danger from Hissa and the Sakkra people, whose homeworld stands so near to our Tyr colony, but those intimations have come from our own people and not from theirs. They acceded to the claim Ianus made when Tyr was founded and their colony fleet was en route, and we have had only good relations since on either side. Certainly I have heard of no desire for our own part to carry a war to their worlds and to claim by conquest what they acquired peacefully. So I speak to Hissa and forge a promise between us that we shall have no cold wars, nor test one another's defenses with probing fleets, nor battle each other in the skies of still-unclaimed worlds where there can be no need. One day no doubt Hissa will reconsider in the fashion of flighty short-lived beings, and choose to send an attack fleet, but hopefully now if it happens, they at least will give us some warning. If they do, they may perhaps be able to travel deeper into our core since I elected to trade them the secrets of irridium crystal construction - but I think not; they are likely to have more advanced fuel of their own by the time of such an event, and the protection afforded our bases by the jammer they taught us to build may help should that transpire, especially because of the insight into alien computer security designs it provides our intelligence agents!

I am told that for the present, we have no intelligence agents. This seems like an oversight that needs correcting.

2370: Among the stars, we find yet more signs of the Ancients - the Precursors of whom legend speaks.



At the neutron star way out beyond Paranar and Imra, we encounter one of their still-extant machines: A Guardian whose firepower - and hostility to interlopers - is every bit as fearsome as our legends would suggest of such an entity. The Scout we sent into the system, not knowing what lay in wait, will scout no more in this or any other galaxy.

Yet there is other and better news, from what perhaps to the Ancients was merely a dump for scrap and industrial waste: Orbiting Drakka, the blazing white star that lies between the galaxy's central nebula and Meklar space, is a little world toxic to all forms of life apart from our own, with all the incalculable mineral and energy riches of our own Paranar, but more than twice its natural living space! Though it cannot happen in the time allotted for my reign, before I must return to the mantle to recharge my in its burning heat, I intend to make every possible effort to see that our people can establish a Drakka colony!

That may be possible with the help of our rapidly-progressing research in planetology, as the means of fitting more of our rocky people on even the smallest of worlds can be used to fit two million in a smaller colony pod aboard a ship, leaving more room for additional fuel cells, and I have every intention of pursuing this course as I can - but I am reminded that Paranar itself is being neglected. Even last year, when I intended to dispatch twenty million transports there from Tauri, a clerical error canceled all but two. In frustration, I sent another twenty million now!



If they risk over-crowding the colony, I can send others away, but it is my intent on the contrary to see our new terraforming project-to-be complete before ever these transports arrive to fill the space it will provide!

2371: My plans are steadily developing, with no greater speed than a lava flow, but with the same inevitability. My spies work tirelessly on our enemies-to-be even as my scientists press forward, already reporting a chance of a breakthrough in planetology. For now there is nothing to report, but the mountains are patient, and the fiery lava flows.

2372: The chances of a breakthrough continue to grow steadily, and with Paranar still far from ready in spite of its continuous subsidies from the imperial treasury, Artemis must go to work in its place, from its little corner of the galaxy, having even now completed the last of its planetary factories, on the parts that may one day be assembled into a new type of colony ship that can reach all the way to Drakka and claim it for me.

2373: I was beginning to wonder if this would pay off. It is well that it has indeed: My agents in human space have penetrated their security grid, and are prepared to slip away with a sample of their proprietary force field or propulsion technology. Dreaming of their nuclear engines, I make my choice, and find...



...that even when they succeed, my agents are entirely capable of disappointing me. Just the same, though deuterium fuel cells are long-obsolete, there is hope that with those out of the way, our agents' next success - may it come soon! - will bring exactly what we need.

... or a portion of our needs, at least. Our work in planetology still needs to complete, and though our scientists claim one chance in five of finishing their work this year, their estimates of how long it is most likely to ultimately take are a little too complicated for me.

2374: The new, updated estimates are much easier to understand: The new, updated estimates are "100%, today!" We're going to start more terraforming almost everywhere as soon as we can get word of the techniques out to the far colonies, and the scientists here in the planetology lab are rumbling about how pleased they are to be able to extend our terraforming abilities still more eventually, but I notice one scientist at the back of the room making curious little thrumming noises, and I silence the others to ask what it has to say. Hesitantly, slowly, as one unused to public speech, it says, "More terraforming is always good, but ... it did occur to me ... there might be something a little bit simpler that these new techniques suggest."

Several of the others drown it out with loudly dismissive noises, but I silence them again; I know we won't have much time in the near future for further work in their labs, and something simpler, if useful, might be just the thing for them to tackle with such limited budget as I'll be able to spare for them. I encourage the rock in the back to go on, and it bashfully suggests, "Er, we've heard that certain aliens may be deploying something called a death spore on their fleets - a kind of ... anti-terraforming device, as I understand it to be."

I can feel the magma heating up in my core. Would it actually consider the study of such atrocities? "I am aware of them," I tell it warningly. "They would kill millions of people even as they deform and twist the very rocks of the planets against which they were used."

More nervous than ever, the silicoid in the back shifts uncomfortably. In a very small voice, it says, "It would be horrifying. It would be. If they were permitted to deploy successfully."

I focus my vision on it narrowly, carefully. "What are you suggesting?"

"Errr..." the scientist settles inward in shame, trying to take up less space on my floor. "It's only ... if we build from our new terraforming techniques, we might be able to counter any spores they fire against us. It ... you see, they appear to rely on some kind of biotoxins secreted by carbon-based beings, and if we built this theoretical, er, bio-toxin antidote..."



The heat in my magma core has eased into a sudden warmth. I try to understand what I'm hearing. "If we want to stop their death spores ... how effective would this antidote be?"

"Um," it shifts again, its outer crystals grinding against each other uncomfortably. "Against death spores like they're using now? Um. Com...completely. Um, theoretically. It would obviate them completely."

I stare at it in the silence pervading the laboratory. When I speak at last, it is to say, "The rest of you are dismissed." Still staring at the bashful scientist, I inform it quietly. "You won't have much of a budget, but I'd like to congratulate you on your promotion. You're the new head of our department of planetology."

I am pleased, but it will be many long years before the fruits of this work arrive, and in the meantime I must return to my seat of power. There are only asteroids to greet our Scout at the second and further white star beyond the galaxy's central nebula, so I order it back to Drakka, there to watch over the glories of our colony-to-be. By this time next year, a long-range colony ship will already be en route to Stalaz, thence to set forth again and claim the dream-world of Drakka for our people. Yet I mustn't forget the glories we already have attained! Two million of our rocky people shall set forth from little Imra to ensure that Paranar is fully populated as soon as it can be! If only it were already a more-mature colony, so it could build the Drakka colony ship from closer by!

2375: Our Scouts have reached yet two more stars, but there is little at either of them to please me: The green star at the galactic rim, far out beyond Imra, harbors the beautiful ice world of Jinga VI, its rolling plains covered in pristine snow, but with Psilon and Sakkra colony fleets due to arrive there next year, the best we can hope for is to help our lizard friends to claim it if we can - and with only our single scout in the system and the Psilon-Sakkra alliance in place, there is precious little hope even of that. As for Nyarl, the blue star not far beyond Drakka, it harbors only vast, silent, tumbling asteroid fields.

With my latest scouting reports in hand, I hurry to my next appointment: My first opportunity of meeting with the High Council of the Galaxy! INT-986 opens with a stirring speech, showing us how all the powers of the galaxy are so nearly equal in so many different ways. Even our people - we whom he calls, "My honored Silicoid opponents," with the most numerous colonies and greatest population in the galaxy, are so far behind in the likes of production capacity, fleet strength, and technological advancement that we might be regarded in a real sense as the least-powerful people of the galaxy. Yet the machine-being warns of a darker future: How the balance of power is fragile, and the likes of Psilon expansion and technology may catapult them ere long into an overwhelming lead unless we all learn to share our knowledge and maintain equality in a New Republic to span the galaxy! It urges one and all to vote for it - not for me, representing the most numerous or least powerful empire, but for one who best represents true equality. I am deeply pleased to hear such wisdom from our neighbors, and the Alkari leader joins his votes to those of the machine. I too shall vote for this true peace, for this glorious idea of a New Republic!



After all, it honors that beautiful speech, and otherwise doesn't make the slightest difference to anybody. The Psilons voted immediately after the Alkari, and did not perhaps perceive the same problems that we and the Meklar do in the potential explosion of their galactic power - and the Humans and the Sakkra are both allied to the brains. All three races abstained from the vote, leaving no chance for anyone to achieve the two-thirds supermajority needed to ratify INT-986's dream.

Back at home, looking over our jewel worlds of Artemis and Paranar, I suddenly come to realize the errors I made last year - and even before! I knew that building up Paranar would be my chief priority, but I failed to fully grasp just how quickly it could contribute and just how much it can, even before most of its future colonists can arrive, even before its infrastructure is complete. It's so much closer to Drakka than is Artemis - and our ships move so slowly - that even now, the best thing I can do to claim that world as quickly as I can is to scrap the ship already en route from Artemis and build a new one from Paranar - which will finish by the end of next year while still keeping its factories ahead of its population figures! Paranar is amazing.

Correcting another mistake from last year, I at last remember to send transports to Artemis from Cryslon, carrying some seven million of our people eager to work among the riches of its surface in the comfort and safety of our little corner of the galaxy.

2376: Our hope of holding off the Psilons at Jinga proves vain, as their colony ship arrives fully armed, apparently with beams. Our retreating scout and the powerful colony fleet belonging to their Sakkra allies likewise permit the little snowball to become a Psilon colony.

2377: The new LongRock colony ship sets forth at last for Drakka. May all that is deep and stony speed it upon its journey!

2378: I can feel my magma core warming and my crystal surface thrumming with pleasure: Paranar is ready to complete its final factories already. I love that little world so much! Still thrumming, I create a list of starship parts for it to produce in preparation for future fleets. Since they will form the firm and powerful basis of a future fleet, I have code-named the parts list Rock Bottom.

2379: The galactic news droid has returned to remind us of the galaxy's ongoing struggles with piracy.



Were there anything we could do about it - had we indeed even the faintest idea of which star Keeta might be - perhaps I would pay it a little more mind. As things stand, I can only prepare for the change I know is coming: My time to return to the mantle is coming upon me quickly, and another shall take my place to lead our people through the galaxy.

2380: As I return to the mantle of Cryslon, leaving to others the mantle of rule, I can take a little pride in the shape of the galaxy.



Our many colonies are mostly the work of my predecessors, to be sure, but the colony ship just visible passing Sol en route to Drakka, our scouting reports of Jinga in the north and the white and blue stars across the galaxy, as well as the discovery of the Guardian - shown in orbit around the neutron star where it makes its home - are all my responsibility. It is true that the Psilons colonized Jinga on my watch - indeed, a raft of Psilon transports can be seen crawling across space in its direction, just now passing by the Guardian's star - but I am content in the knowledge that there was nothing I could have done about it, with no fleet that could have reached it before the Psilon colony ship except for a couple of Scouts, one of which I sent immediately upon taking office, so that it arrived a single year before the Psilons did. I am pleased with what we have ... which is not to say that we shouldn't push as hard as we can to gain even more as quickly as may be!

Report that's in character for some guy playing an old strategy game:

2369: Send a bunch of transports to the front, including ... 2 ... to Paranar. This was meant to be 20, and I even took a screenshot, but then was messing with the transport numbers to check on something and somehow forgot to change it back. NAP with Sakkra since the only reason we'd be fighting any time soon would be if they attack us, and this way we'll get a little warning before they do. After some consideration, also trade them R6 for ECM 1 both to help our spies a little and to give our bases better defenses. I doubt if R6 will be their state-of-the-art range tech for long, but this may have been a mistake. (Should probably have given them DSS even though it would improve their spying a little.) Humans are willing to trade nuclear engines and will take R6 (or IT20) for them; they must therefore have Stabilizers or Sublights. If Paranar were closer to readiness, I might have done this trade for IT20 with the intention of letting them terraform for us and attacking them ASAP, but under the circumstances, I feel like ASAP is still too far away. (In hindsight, I should have done it for R6, as they would in fact soon get R7 themselves.)

I also notice we've got a hundred or so laser popguns crawling around the empire, 40 holding orbit at Tyr, and 40 just sitting around at Artemis, waiting for orders. I send the latter forward (they'll eventually wind up at Stalaz in case someone finds a way to use them in support of an eventual attack) as Artemis is the very last place in the empire that needs any kind of active fleet. Honestly I should have decided on a more specific plan for where and how to concentrate our fleet, but I felt kind of caught in between: They're too slow to reposition tactically, we're at peace everywhere right now, the world (Tyr) that's most likely to be threatened while popguns have a chance to make a difference is many parsecs and a nebula away from our planned attack front, we don't have anything much better with which to replace them yet so I don't feel comfortable just scrapping the things, and but they're pretty rapidly going obsolete.

2370: Met the Guardian at the neutron star in the north. Discovered Drakka at the white star southeast of the central nebula: A UR Toxic 25! We're just 1 parsec shy of being able to sending a colship - and IT+30 should give us enough miniaturization to build one with Reserve Fuel Tanks! I send 20 'sports to Paranar from Tauri now, hoping to get IT+30 soon enough to have it terrafomed and ready before they arrive!

2371: Planetology is at 1%!

2372: Plan at 12%. Artemis maxes factories and I start a pre-build for an LR colship there.

2373: Spies connect against Strader! I go for Propulsion over Force Fields hoping for nuclear engines, but am not surprised to find only R5. Plan now at 20%

2374: Terra +30 HITS! Next rung has IT+40 and Bio Toxin Antidote. I take the latter because Humans have spores, it's a cheaper way up the ladder, and +40 isn't a huge upgrade over +30 in spite of worlds like Paranar. The northern white star in the central nebula holds only the Neptunus asteroid field. Start terraforming nearly everywhere. 2 'sports to Paranar from Imra, hoping to top it off after it maxes with +30.

2375: Discover Jinga, a Tundra 40, at the green star north of Sakkra space, and Nyarl asteroids at the blue star near Drakka. Vote pits us against the INT-986. It gets its own 4 votes, plus 4 from its Alkari allies. The Psilons, Humans, and Sakkra abstain with 4 votes apiece. We cast our 5 for the robot as a meaningless show of friendship, and play on. Our LR colship completes and is off on its lonnnnng journey to Stalaz, en route to Drakka. 7M sent to Artemis from Cryslon. I also belated realize how quickly Paranar can do basically everything: Building the LR colship from Artemis was a waste since it's so far away. I start on another at Paranar while still keeping its factories ahead of current population.

2376: Psilon colship meets our Scout at Jinga. It's armed, not apparently with missiles, so our Scout retreats. The planet is now a Psilon colony, and though a largish Sakkra fleet was due to arrive at the same time, the two are allies, so nothing will come of that (at least not immediately). I design a new LR colship and set Paranar to complete one (so I can scrap the extant one from Artemis if I'm right that Paranar's will arrive first). Also of note: Meks have really good tech, and they're allied to the Humans right now.

2377: Longrock colship complete at Paranar, sent to Drakka with an ETA of 12. This only shaves 2t off the Artemis ship's ETA, but probably still worth it. (In fact, delaying Paranar's factories to get it finished ASAP while not building one at Artemis at all would probably have been the best move). I scrap the ship from Artemis.

2378: Design a huge placeholder junk ship for Paranar to build as it's about to finish its factories. Ignore the in-character excuse. The placeholder is called RockBottom because that's what we'll have hit if we feel we actually need to build one of the things.

2379: GNN reports on the Keeta pirate situation again. Still no idea where that is. Paranar maxes factories. Psilon tech is ridiculous, but weirdly distributed. Nobody has engines except (Human) nukes or colbases better than (Psilon) Dead. Fusion Bomb is now at 2%. Swap Paranar to reserves for a turn to ensure my successor will have some resources with which to play.

2380: No news; time to hand off the save!