Ok this is going to be super quick and without pictures because I managed to overwrite all my save files after I finished playing 
before I could go back and get pictures or review what had happened.
Here is a screenshot I just grabbed from the starting save to help with explanation.
I settled Obaca on the first turn and set about building up both worlds. I opened early research to expand my range for future transports and settled in to await the coming of the AI at UR Thrax. I left a scout in orbit without thinking about it with the result that an unescorted Psilon colony ship retreated because their initiative was higher than mine and I couldn’t withdraw in time. The Alkari wound up grabbing it a couple years later in 2352 if memory serves. I instantly sent transports along with a minimal force of laser fighters that I had built up and grabbed the world. It turns out that an Ultra Rich size 45 world full of bears can build a missile base in two years even without any factories, so I was pretty safe. From there I progressed on to take Tao from the Silicoids when Controlled Dead came in literally two years later, and then paused to build up my new holdings.
While that was going on the Silicoids were expanding east along the top of the map. Once they were established at Radiated Celtsi I took Barren Anraq out from behind them and once they had reached Barren Crypto in the far east I bombed out Radiated Celtsi (which I could never settle) and then invaded Crypto which locked up the northeast corner.
Once that was done and I had a force of Nuke bombers to go along with my NPG fighters (I think I got NPGs from one of my early invasions, probably Tao) I pushed west into Silicoid space eventually exterminating them. Curving around to the southwest I consumed the Mrrshan homeworld (their second planet was overrun by the Psilons earlier in the game) and exterminated both them and the Alkari, neither of whom ever amounted to anything. By that time, it was ~2470 and I ran into a brick wall against the extremely advanced technology of the Psilons. I think that I COULD have beaten them with enough buildup and effort to crack one of their worlds and snag some of their tech, but it would have been a bloody fight. Instead my population (plus two votes from the Humans who I never met at all in this game) let me take a 2475 election victory.
Shadow Score: 2424 (2474 victory date – 50 for Domination)
before I could go back and get pictures or review what had happened.Here is a screenshot I just grabbed from the starting save to help with explanation.
I settled Obaca on the first turn and set about building up both worlds. I opened early research to expand my range for future transports and settled in to await the coming of the AI at UR Thrax. I left a scout in orbit without thinking about it with the result that an unescorted Psilon colony ship retreated because their initiative was higher than mine and I couldn’t withdraw in time. The Alkari wound up grabbing it a couple years later in 2352 if memory serves. I instantly sent transports along with a minimal force of laser fighters that I had built up and grabbed the world. It turns out that an Ultra Rich size 45 world full of bears can build a missile base in two years even without any factories, so I was pretty safe. From there I progressed on to take Tao from the Silicoids when Controlled Dead came in literally two years later, and then paused to build up my new holdings.
While that was going on the Silicoids were expanding east along the top of the map. Once they were established at Radiated Celtsi I took Barren Anraq out from behind them and once they had reached Barren Crypto in the far east I bombed out Radiated Celtsi (which I could never settle) and then invaded Crypto which locked up the northeast corner.
Once that was done and I had a force of Nuke bombers to go along with my NPG fighters (I think I got NPGs from one of my early invasions, probably Tao) I pushed west into Silicoid space eventually exterminating them. Curving around to the southwest I consumed the Mrrshan homeworld (their second planet was overrun by the Psilons earlier in the game) and exterminated both them and the Alkari, neither of whom ever amounted to anything. By that time, it was ~2470 and I ran into a brick wall against the extremely advanced technology of the Psilons. I think that I COULD have beaten them with enough buildup and effort to crack one of their worlds and snag some of their tech, but it would have been a bloody fight. Instead my population (plus two votes from the Humans who I never met at all in this game) let me take a 2475 election victory.
Shadow Score: 2424 (2474 victory date – 50 for Domination)
Nice work. 