2300
I send the colony ship to the close by green star. The Scouts are sent to other nearby stars. There are many scientists willing to start their careers in this new age of Human existence, but there are so many other pressing concerns. I can only afford them 1 Billion Credits right now with and advisory to look into bettering our environmental understanding.
2301
Last year went so smoothly that I increase their pay to 3 bc.
2302
My scientists bring me two plans. The are ravenous to begin either one, almost creating a civil war in the labs. I decide to take the more Environmental approach and find a way to more easily clean up the factor waste.
When the Colony ship reaches Stalaz, they find that the planet is a Barren wasteland. I'd best not reveal that to the techies yet. Those who wanted me to fund the Life to the Wastes project might fill my inbox with some not so kind emails.
2307
And finally the wandering colony ship finds a home. Though it has little in the way of metals, the oddly named Vulcan would still be a wonderful place to have a peaceful getaway. I send 9 billion to help jump start the colony.
2308
The scout has sent back word that an unidentified ship was spotted around the Kronos region.
2323
An the labbies finally give me a new clean up process that would cut the waste management budget by a third. Hopefully the Life to the Wastes project won't take so long.
2329
And the longer-than-it-should-have-taken Life to the Wastes (Controlled Barren) has been finished. Good thing I can refocus the plans for the currently in-production Colony ship for a more Life Giving approach.
2330
And another USC (Unidentified Space Craft) was spotted at Kronos. This one was much larger. Due to this, I take the newly submitted plans for nearly doubling the range of our ships.
2332
And now a USC at Rha.
2339
Mixed news today. The Deuterium Fuel Cells have been perfected. The schematics have been sent to all of the scout ships. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with the scout orbiting Kronos. I suspect alien interference.
2340
A new plan for a cheaper factory has come to my attention. This, when finished, should quicken the factory construction on Vulcan.
2341
When the colony on Stalaz was established, strange images and messages were received from the west. I was surprised to learn these were in English, a bit guttural and broken, but English none the less! It seems the Scout Pilot that was watching Kronos was captured and taught them our language. I hope he can return to us soon. The aliens call themselves the Sakkras and wish us peace.
2344
While watching the news, an urgent broadcast was released. The Sakkras have 6 planets, twice our number! I want to know how this information was not sent to me first! There must be a leak in the information network I set up to help understand our new neighbors.
2350
The Sakkras are running out of control with the number of planets they own! They now have eight and look to cover the whole galaxy. Fortunately, the colony on Stalaz is ready to start making colony ships for expansion. I decide to open trade relations, now that my information network has assimilated itself deep in to their culture. I'm surprised it will only cost me 3 Billion Credits to build and supply the new trad routes.
2351
Once the finished plans for the Factory 9,000,000! have been given to the general public, I feel more secure in our ability to focus our resources faster and expand quicker. To help in this manner, I focus the scientists on a way to make a supercity.
2353
And now there are four planets in the Human Empire! Toranor is a beautiful planet with rich grassy plains. I send 25 million of our most expert farmers from Vulcan to help start up the process.
2356
Not too long after, the water world Esper comes into the Human fold. Sol and Vulcan give a portion of their pop to expand ourselves.
2361
So many things happened this year! First, A new planet has been settled: simple little Guradas. Not too long afterwords, a new alien contacted the planet. These looked like overgrown canaries. My top xenoliguists (a branch of research started once open trade was established with the Sakkra) began translating it quickly. The new neighbors don't seem to like us 'land walkers' (that seems to be the closest term, though these aliens seem as naturally flightless as we are) very much, but agreed to open trade with us. He did leave me with one cryptic note:
"Heed this warning, Land Walker. A plague festers in the North."
2362
A horde of scientists march into my office with huge (mostly taped together) plans for a Super City, able to feed, house and employ 20 million people. As soon as the lead scientist finishes, the mob rushes back out of the room. I manage to snag a straggler long enough to ask what they are doing. "The Tech Leads wanted to work on the old Awaken the Dead Worlds project." I really don't see the point, as there are no dead worlds within our neck of the woods.
2364
I wonder if this is the Alpha? Oh well, Centauri is under Human control.
2365
The Sakkra leader called me earlier today. He mentioned that our peoples would benefit greatly by further trading, especially if we encounter a threat. I agreed, but before I could ask him how many more channels we could open, he polity excused himself from the conversation. This struck me as odd, but when I asked the resident Sakkran ambassador, she mentioned that the Broodlord did not like to make demands of others unless it was urgent. So later on in the day, I called him up and offered logistical plans for a new, efficient trade network. He seemed to swell with joy.
2369
Kataka now has our flag and feet in it's soil.
2373
In contrast to the last development, a single man - I think even the same one I stopped nine years ago - came to my office with the message that they had done it. When I asked him where the rest of the scientists were, he mumbled something about upgrading their computers.
2374
Rha, in all it's wealth from our trade, has little in the way of a police force. This rim system has attracted pirates to plunder both Sakkran and Human alike. I would love to help, but Rha is a Sakkra world, and out of my jurisdiction. But in response to that, the M.O.S. team (Mob of Scientists) have started to delve into anti-missile technology, specifically EMC based Jammers.
*Ahhh, the fun of this varient. It's already at 76%, and 84 before I readjusted for a quicker colony ship from Sol!*
2375
Similar as the Sakkra, a scout ship goes missing, a planet (Tau Cygni) is colonized and we get visitors speaking out language. Unlike the Sakkra, these 'Darloks' speak English quite fluently and coldly. They cover themselves entirely with cloaks. They make no mention of the pilot, but I do hope he is safe. I get their leader to agree to a modest trade before he turns off the holoprojector. He end the conversation so quickly that I have no time to tell them that their new planet has a colony ship headed straight for it! I am a little worried as to why all of their colonies are way up north, except for this little one right next to me. I wonder why he didn't colonize all those planets in between? Are they all inhospitable planets?
2378
Again, there must be some leak in the information network! It seems that the Darloks were the 'plague' the Alkari had mentioned. They were just able to find a lasting cure this year! I couldn't believe what horrors it must have been to have a planet-wide sickness on their homeworld for 17 years. Most diseases have been eradicated for nearly a century now on Sol. The only silver lining for this year is Aquilae has been colonized. It seems those labbies are more clever than they appear. The Awaken the Dead Worlds project had a sub-plan for frozen planets.
2380
I've begun to ship the vast quantities of minerals, ores, and metals from Stalaz to my newest colonies and poor Vulcan.
2381
Obaca proved Irradiated. Now on to the next two.
2382
The M.O.S. returned with two plans for an ECM Jamming system. The first is a weaker, but smaller and cheaper version, Mark I, while the second is twice a powerful and nearly twice as big. With as many planets and aliens out there, I ask them to work on a way to improve upon the way we scan, send, and receive signals in space.
2383
I take a risk and draw up plans for reserve tanks to be fitted to a Life to the Wastes Colony Ship so I can grab the curiously untaken Volantis.
2385
Tyr proves to have nothing in the way of even a stable planetoid and Yarrow is covered in magma flowing around cracked volcanic rock.
2390
The M.O.S. storm in with exceptionally loud jubilation. They have Improved our current Space Scanners. Even gave each ship the ability to scan up to two parsecs away from themselves. It seems we will beat a Sakkran colonizing fleet by two years. A little annoyed by how slow it would be to have a disaster on one planet and to try to send help, I ask to increase the speed of our ships. They respond by saying they will have to experiment with speeding a ship up while in a star system first.
*And here is the drawback of this variant. You have to plan 5 or 6 steps ahead. To misquote Sirian: I chose poorly.*
2392
The Sakkra settle Laan. *I had completely forgotten that I had 2 scouts just sitting around here.
* Tyranid then calls up a meeting with all four leaders to decide if one of them should rule the galaxy. He doles out votes based on population. He gets 9, I get 8, the Darkloks get 5, and the Alkari get a single vote. He then automatically elects the two with the highest population to be the two runners for the election. That would be him and me, of course. The winner will be the one to have 2/3rds or more of the vote. Each leader proclaims their choice for all to hear. Nazgur casts it's vote for the Sakkra. It seems that the two have had an Alliance for a few years now. This gives me the idea to start working for one once I settle Volantis. Tyranid votes for himself. The Alkari, who seem to taken a liking for us in-spite of themselves, cast their single vote for me. I take the diplomatic route. With a smile that I hope conveys sympathy and understanding, I abstain. The Tyranid looks disheartened until the ambassador whispers something to him. He gives me a small nod and concludes the vote inconclusive. A new vote is to be held every 25 years starting in 8 years. Later, I ask the ambassador what she said to her Broodlord. She said she told him that human value their independence for to much to just give themselves away when they have a fair challenge. She also noted that I did not want to hurt our friendship by selfishly casting the vote for myself, so I took the only other option: cast no vote at all.
2393
And Volantis is mine! I call up Tyranid, Nazgur, and Skylord and ask each one for a Non Aggression Pact. They all agree. I even get more trade routes to Sakkra and Darlok worlds.
2395
The labbies have finished tinkering with their advanced intersystem booster jets. I have them try to find a way to double or even triple our ship speed.
2398
I think the labbies took me a little too seriously. They present me with an engine design that will triple our normal ships' speed and double our population carriers. I just sigh and ask if there would be any way to speed up the factory building on Volantis as I had vastly overestimated the population cap and sent just enough to max it out *or had a contingency plan in case the Sakkra did not accept a NAP or still sent pop to take the planet*.
2400
This second vote turns out as expected: a repeat of the first. The only difference is that I have an extra vote.
Afterwords, the M.O.S. pile in to show off their way to cheapen the cost of factories. This uses nanomachines to rapidly construct some of the finer parts of the product. As each scientists is scrambling to tell me something about this, or what it can apply to, someone in the crowd screams for everyone to stop! She then says that these nanomachines could be used to automatically fix any damage to a ship or any other metal based object. The group becomes a buzz of activity as they leave, trying to decided how to make self regulating restrictions and activations. I swear I can still hear them as they leave the complex.
Tech as of 2400:
Comp: 13
Const: 9
FF: 1
Planet: 11
Prop: 12
Wpns: 1
total: 47
score: 8
2404
So many complaints... The environmentalist groups are hassling me every day about how we are polluting our planets with such unmitigated waste! Don't they realize I'm spending a small fortune to clean up after the factories?!? Heck, a few years ago, Tyranid called me up to voice complaints from his people that we may invade their territories to expand. Why would I even do that to my friend?
Oh, what is it now?
The labbies have finished the Nanomachine Autorepair Units? Good, maybe they can help me with this. Or at least, the environmental problem.
2408
Well, one complaint down. I now want to add more planets under our influence. To appease my neighbors, I ask the techies to try to develop a way to speed up a young planet's cooling time.
2412
It seems Centauri is trying to give up the ghost. The local scientists say that it will blossom into a Supernova in less than a decade. Obviously, I call for them to find a way to rejuvenate their star.
2413
And one year later, the Centauri Labbies bring me news that, if they keep getting focused resources, they can develop and test a solar rejuvenator in 4 to 5 years. The rest of the scientists bring me plans for a colonypod that not only cools baby planets, but can also convert the air of the planet to an easily breathable atmosphere. They claim it should work on any planet that has a non-Oxygen/Nitrogen atmosphere. Since the population of our planets have been stagnant for a while, I ask them to devise a way to expand the Supercites.
2417
Two sets of good news! Centauri is like a new star! And we have an even bigger Supercity (10 billion more)! Now that we have so much in the way of population, I ask the M.O.S. to try to find a way to make our factories more efficient.
2424
Using the most advanced Computer controls and techniques learned from the nanomachines, the Labbies have found a way to double the efficiency of our factories. An unintended side effect is that less people will be needed to man said factories. I decide to release these new factory schematics slowly, so more factories can be built to accommodate the recently unemployed. With that out of the way, the expanding empire makes space travel feel so slow, so once again I requisition a faster engine.
2425
The election comes and goes, nothing new except everyone save Skylord has more votes.
2432
I don't think I've seen such a somber group outside of funeral. The entire horde of scientists trudged into my office and presented me with the new engine schematics. I was confused as to why until I came upon the speed of the device. It was only a third faster than what was already available. Well, given all the innovations and breakthroughs they've had in a past decades, a dud was bound to turn up. I give the downed group a cheerful smile and thank them for all their hard work. I offered a way to get their minds on something else by suggesting they find a way to cheapen factories, as seeing how we are still building new ones on every planet.
2435
Sklord called me up today. I was hoping he wanted to open more trade routes. It was not so. Apparently, the rich of his single world have grown sick of only hearing tales from us about the vast space and the varied planets within it. They want to see it for themselves, own a planet or two. With the galaxy nearly completely claimed, the only way to see the universe would be to take it from someone else. He recalls the Alkari Ambassador for a few years, as to not be seen as a traitor by the Upper Class. Before he left, I asked him if he knew if Skylord has told Tyranid and Nazgur yet. Somberly, he answered "Not only did he tell them, he declared war."
2436
Sklord had added me to his insane war. It seems I must save him from himself. I have designed a gunboat fitted with the best computer, engine, intersellar thrusters, and the special Inertial Stabilizers. This laser ship should be hard to hit. I also draw up plans for a Nuclear Bomber, though cheaper, it is slower when it comes to moving in the star systems.
2437
Skylord has already made his move! He has sent most all of his fleet to Centauri. I quickly dump most resources into building defensive Missile Bases, though I am not sure if they will do much good. As extra backup, I have Toranor pump Gunboats there as well. But, this leaves him open on his own planet. The first fleet of 60 gunboats and 180 Bombers will atempt to take the planet while they are away.
2442
As the old saying goes, "No plan survives the enemy". Both Skylord and I misjudged each other. With his larger fleet, he has nearly taken down Centauri, but I have been able to whittle down a nearly defenseless Altair. It is with a heavy heart that I realize next year should see Altair be destroyed. Had I been able to gain space superiority earlier, this could have been prevented. But the past is the past, nothing I can do about it, though I wish it were otherwise. Tyranid has learned of my crusade against the Alkari. He called me up to congratulate me on striking such a power hungry foe. I explain to him that I was merely trying to stop them from getting themselves killed in needless war. Oh the irony of what will happen...
2443
And so, the Alkari Empire is no more. All that is left are the 55 million last seen headed for Centauri three years ago. They will be found, rounded up, and sent back to Altair. They will have full Human Citizenship and will be free to go where ever they wish. It is the least I could do.
Beause of the great loss of life on Centauri, I have commissioned defensive Missile Bases to be built on all Human planets. Each planet will have a Base for every ten million people. I tell the techies to start researching something to protect our citizens in case of an attack.
2444
The M.O.S. have made centuries old fantasies real. Though they are not as flashy as one you'd find in movies, we now have laser pistols to protect our people. Now to form the NLA!
2446
Life after the Alkari is not a pretty one on Altair. During the time it took to build the colony ship UHI Welcome Home and fly it to Altair, all of the now unmanned power plants, factories, and Lord knows what else chugged along until they exploded. Half of the planet is either scorched or covered in sludge. At least we were able to find the missing Alkari Troops floating in space. It took many weeks of negotiations to get them to travel back to a Human controlled Altair. It didn't hurt that they were nearly out of food and life support.
Will history remember me as a savior or as a monster?
2448
Now the Labbies bring me a design for a stronger Bomb, this one working on fusion reactions to wipe out what ever it hits. I tell them to get back to finds ways to defend and protect the people!
2449
Reports from Aquilae say that a comet has veered off it's intended course and is on a collision course with the planet! Since it would take too long to get the fleet from Altauri to Aquilae, I commission a cheap dual laser drone to be mass produced on Aquilae itself and sent to slowly annihilate the rouge ice ball.
2451
My Chief of Security visited me today. He came bearing a gift from the scientists. A large and wicked looking rifle. Apparently, it uses a more powerful and largely untraceable faint Ion Stream rather than a conventional laser. When I attempted to contact them to direct them onto another project, I was given a recorded message that they were currently busy on a new project. I did take note that later in the day there was a large truck unloading huge bags of "FertoWaste".
2453
The Automated Drones have destroyed the offending heavenly body and will be sent home to be decommissioned. Due to their number, I expect this to take a year.
2456
The M.O.S. fill my office once again. This time they bring me a way to make all of our non-Hostile planets Fertile using techniques from the gas terraformation used in the cleaning of Toxic planets. At least that knowledge was being put to some use. I ask them a small favor of working with on improving the generic medical technology. Now that we have nanotechnology, surely that could come in handy for organic repairs as well as constructs.
2460
Taking the odd quest with their normal vigor, they produce a Nano-Pill that can destroy either a preprogramed organism, such a certain bacterium, or a cell that appears to be under the influence of a virus. The virus part is more damage control than a cure, but any pathogens that are roughly a micron or larger can be eliminated. To be honest, this was a much a publicity stunt as anything else. I, then, have them research a way to increase our sensors.
I also use this new cure-all to ask for a way to settle the last two planets within my reach. Tyranid gladly takes the offer.
2462
And the glowing beauty of Obaca is ours. Now on to Herculis. There is the slight problem that there is a Sakkra fleet of Small ships headed there. I contact Tyranid and inform him of my intent and that Herculis is far closer to my territory than his. He retorts that there could still be dangerous pirates or other malcontents using it as a base of operations. It seems that he is still over wrought about the major pirating incident nearly a century ago. He won't let his ships leave the planet until I have sent armed ships to defend the planet in case of incursions. *Note, this is fluff. I did not threaten Tyranid. I scared his ships away with mine. I didn't actually think it would work, to be honest.*
2466
It takes longer than I though to round up all of my ships, but they all arrive to Herculis. As per the agreement, the Sakkran ships leave a year before the fleet gets there. As extra insurance, I have the ships make a detailed inspection for the remainder of the year. This was helped in part by the newly upgraded Scanners. *New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, Colonize? No - Click... Wait, What?!? Aggh!*
With the new reports on distant planets, we get an interesting bit of data. There is an unoccupied star in the North East corner of the galaxy! Unfortunately, it is 9 parsecs away, nearly twice our normal range. I get the Labbies to fix that.
2470
And fix it they do! Right on the money! With these deadly new planets, I ask them to design construction grade Exoskeletons to help prevent the loss of life.
2474
As Keeta is settled, I get the news that the Exoskeletons have been completed. With construction in mind, I ask if they can devise a way to increase the efficiency of our factories again.
2475
The Voting came and went. No surprises there.
2480
Using more advanced computer control, the factory nanites can now be 25% more efficient. Since the Alkari population has seen a boom, I decided to push our propulsion technology to new limits. If they want to see the galaxy so bad, why make them wait?
2481
Sad news today: In it's rush to build new factories, Centauri has overtaxed it's heavy metal deposits. The Centaurians just have the worst luck.
2487
"Tired of sitting in a rusty old clanker for half a decade just to get from Vulcan to Stalaz? Then come and see our fabulous cruise lines! Visit each and every planet in the Human Empire in under 20 years! We have the latest and greatest Ion Engine! Passengers may book from planet to planet or buy a System's Package! And we're having a massive discount on the Imperial Tour. -offervaliduntil2490-"
Well, with the current influx of Alkari pilots, I have my scientists devise a way to upgrade our targeting computers to be even comparable to their 3-D dog-fighting comprehension.
2491
These pilots are amazing! I watch as they just tear through the simulations like it was child's play. They tend to score at least Five times as better than their Human contemporaries. This is incredible! I decide to advance our knowledge of Mass Drivers to help the mining of asteroids.
2494
Centauri is indeed cursed... A freakishly powerful earthquake destroyed almost all of the SuperCity. 22 Million dead. Massive fundraisers have been pouring in as the weeks go by.
2496
It seems with more and more Alkari joining the military, an Altairian Cultural Movement is underway as the youngest generations of the Alkari are attempting to embrace their heritage. Part of that heritage is to prove oneself as a pilot. To compensate for the massive numbers of new pilots, I have the three Main Systems (Sol, Altair, and Toranor) as well as the metal Rich worlds of Volantis, Stalaz, Aquilae, and Herculis build the new Design the Destroyer. It comes with a militarized Mass Driver, a full complement of Ion Thrusters
Also, the Labbies have brought me not only the new Mass Driver, but also an Anti-Matter Bomb for vaporizing useless space rock material. After these were said and done, I request they find a way to cut my Waste cleanup budget in half.
2500
Need I say anything about the Election? 2/5 split. Just like last time, and the time before that...
Tech as of 2500:
Comp: 29
Const: 25
FF: 1
Planet: 24
Prop: 30
Wpns: 17
total: 126
score: 21
2502
And now the Cleanup Budget is halved. Before I can assign them onto their next task, they whole group wanders off, mumbling something about "Andy's Armor". Kinda creepy, if you ask me.
Also, there have been reports of a growing dissenter's group on Incidous. It seems that they feel little connection to the rest of the Darlok Empire. *Not that I have any thing to do with it...*
2508
It appears I was mistaken. They were talking about Armor made from a theoretical alloy called Andrium. Pretty hardy stuff, actually. With the some constant heckling from the environmentally conscious, I ask the scientists to actually provide a way to reduce the actual pollution output of the factories rather than make it cheaper for me to clean up. Not that it makes much of a difference to me though.
2512
The Sakkra report that a strange Amoeba-like being wiped out one of their outlying colonies.
2515
I can now look out my window and see a blue sky on any given day. A pity, I did sort of like the purple tint... *40% Waste cleanup*
2521
With nearly two decades of no news about the dissent, I was beginning to believe it was a quick adolescences' phase. Until that fateful day. A small shuttle pod landed on Tau Cygni with one badly injured Darlok. Along with it were tapes of secret police and concentration camps. Apparently, those who were even faintly suspected of having anti-Nazin sentiments were thrown into a camp, never to leave. We must stop this! We must liberate Incedious! *Seriously, these are the Darloks, but I outclass them in production and Comp tech (I think). I should have sabotaged something by now, or at least ticked them off. I never even got them to Wary! Are they actually Xenophiles, not Xenophobes?*
2523
Oh God. Those tapes were true and more. The Imperial Army waded through their troops and secured the planet. The grateful people eagerly flood our databanks with whatever scientific projects they had the plans to (BC VII, 5 Shields, Range 7, Gravaton Beam, Ion Cannon). We, in turn, update their factories and make them an official Protectorate of the Human Empire.
2525
The Darlok Emperor has retaliated, sending his two Great War Fleets to Guradas and Altair. Fortunately, all my contacts say that the Darloks can still only move at 1 parsec a year, giving me plenty of time to prepare. I might even have a little surprise for Guradas if all things go well. I desperately build up Missle Bases as quickly as possible and re-enforce the planets with my own fleet. In the midst of the war, the Labbies bring me a cheaper factory design. This will help a lot when building up the liberated Darlok Worlds. I ask them to find a way to lengthen our range for our ships' weapons.
2529
Two victories this day! The first fleet to attack Altair has been vanquished, but not without the loss of all of the old Gunner Ships. And the surprise attack on Paranar was a rousing success, gaining us more Darlok weaponry, shields, and another grateful Protectorate. The Giant Space Amoeba, as it is called by the public, has seemingly destroyed Regulus. If it weren't for the attack on the Sakkra, I would think this would be some sort of extreme way of wiping out rebels.
2531
Guradas is able to ward off the advancing Darlok fleet with the help of the new Battleship design. Though it preformed quite poorly in attacking the enemy, it's defenses are still top notch, nothing short of a huge fleet of Small ships could dare destroy it.
2535
And the second quick strike succeeds. This time an attempt to cut the head off of the snake. We took Nazin! Unfortunately, the 'ruler' of Nazin was a double. He said so himself as he detonated the Imperial Palace, taking out every soldier within a half mile radius - Human and Darlok both. What madmen the Darlok Imperials are!
2545
With the taking of Moro and Ryoun, I though we had him. But each time, he had merely placed a suicidal double. Confusing reports are coming in that he is on each remaining Darlok planet at the same time. This war will not end easily.
2548
The M.O.S. have finally resurfaced. They claim that they were so caught up in decrypting Darlok technologies that most every achievement they made was superseded by the next one. Plausible, but one part of their story doesn't add up. There was a seven year span where Hazmat suits were quickly seen entering and exiting the building. Oh well, the have shown me a new type of SuperCity, twice the size of the old one. I never dreamed that something this big could be called anything less than a nation. *Among other things, I researched Doom Virus and 60+ pop*
2550
This vote was new. There were 50 votes total and I had 26 all to myself. With the first lead I've ever had, I tentatively vote for myself. Even Tyranid seemed worried. If only he and I could rule as brothers.
2554
There was panic in the streets of Tau Cygni. Apparently, a clandestine group of Sakkras blew up six factories.
2555
My little labbies have brought me a new type of weapon, the Interstellar Torpedo. This is basicly an energy missile. Unlike a normal missile, does not rely on true ammunition, but rather on small homing device wrapped up in a huge ball of pure anti-matter (with a confining electromagnetic shield to both keep the anti-matter withing the 'bomb' and without the homing device, of course).
2566
I have now taken over Neptunus and Dunatis. With each, I uncovered more and more of a far reaching Darlok conspiracy involving the assassination and replacement of governmental leaders in both Sakkra and Human planets. What I uncovered on Neptunis cemented the fact that there were fakes running both Argus and Rotan. When I tried to tell Tyranid of these plots, he was appalled that I would insult some of his most trusted advisers. It seems that I will have to take them out on my own. May he forgive me.
2572
It is time to take down Argus and Rotan. May the Universe wish me luck.
2574
The attacks on Argus and Rotan did not go as planned. Rotan is ours, and we have captured the impostor, but his counterpart on Argus put up a strong resistance and the new Corvette designs, using Anti-matter Torpedos, failed to destroy the missile bases. The worst horror was the knowledge that the Sakkra are using biological weapons, no doubt through incentives from the Darlok replacements.
2578
The Sakkra have proven most heinous! They annihilated their former colony of Rotan from orbit. I can not fathom such an act. It is good that most of the other colonies within their reach have adequate defenses.
2580
Something is very wrong here. Tyranid wiped out the entire population of Altair. Not through bombs or guns, but through a virulent disiese. Even our best nanomedice could not stop it. Something must be done! Why would he do this?!? This is not like the Tyranid I knew for centuries. He must be an impostor.
I fear the only way to keep our planets from falling from a similar fate would be to build up a fleet intended to glass a planet in one strike and create a field of death between he and I.
I must become a monster to fight a monster.
2587
And so starts the glassing campaign with Kronos. May the Universe help us all.
2596
*Wiped out the Darloks. Conquer victory it is.*
2601
*Created Outpost, a Medium Colony ship to reach the last Sakkra world.*
2605
Won.
Here's what I meant by the Sakkra slingshot:
Comp: 44
Const: 47
FF: 41
Planet: 50
Prop: 45
Wpns: 35
total: 262
score: 43
Most of these techs I did not research! With each Sakkra (and to a lesser extent Darlok) world I conquered, my tech just kept jumping. But on the the actual scoring of my own game:
2400( 8 ) + 2500( 21 ) = 29.
Results post tomorrow.
Oh, and the main reason why it took me so long to do anything in the game was because I wanted a stronger lead on my opponents before I started to undercut them (invade their planets to better my votes while taking away theirs). But the Darloks just had to be nearly constant allies of the Sakkra.
Also: Really? Really?! One single, weakened Darlok planet vs. a maxed out Spying and no successful Sabotage for 30 yrs.? They wouldn't have had to die had they just let me set off a rebellion leader change. It was so easy last game... AS the Darloks... Stupid RNG not letting me play out my planned story better...
I send the colony ship to the close by green star. The Scouts are sent to other nearby stars. There are many scientists willing to start their careers in this new age of Human existence, but there are so many other pressing concerns. I can only afford them 1 Billion Credits right now with and advisory to look into bettering our environmental understanding.
2301
Last year went so smoothly that I increase their pay to 3 bc.
2302
My scientists bring me two plans. The are ravenous to begin either one, almost creating a civil war in the labs. I decide to take the more Environmental approach and find a way to more easily clean up the factor waste.
When the Colony ship reaches Stalaz, they find that the planet is a Barren wasteland. I'd best not reveal that to the techies yet. Those who wanted me to fund the Life to the Wastes project might fill my inbox with some not so kind emails.
2307
And finally the wandering colony ship finds a home. Though it has little in the way of metals, the oddly named Vulcan would still be a wonderful place to have a peaceful getaway. I send 9 billion to help jump start the colony.
2308
The scout has sent back word that an unidentified ship was spotted around the Kronos region.
2323
An the labbies finally give me a new clean up process that would cut the waste management budget by a third. Hopefully the Life to the Wastes project won't take so long.
2329
And the longer-than-it-should-have-taken Life to the Wastes (Controlled Barren) has been finished. Good thing I can refocus the plans for the currently in-production Colony ship for a more Life Giving approach.
2330
And another USC (Unidentified Space Craft) was spotted at Kronos. This one was much larger. Due to this, I take the newly submitted plans for nearly doubling the range of our ships.
2332
And now a USC at Rha.
2339
Mixed news today. The Deuterium Fuel Cells have been perfected. The schematics have been sent to all of the scout ships. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with the scout orbiting Kronos. I suspect alien interference.
2340
A new plan for a cheaper factory has come to my attention. This, when finished, should quicken the factory construction on Vulcan.
2341
When the colony on Stalaz was established, strange images and messages were received from the west. I was surprised to learn these were in English, a bit guttural and broken, but English none the less! It seems the Scout Pilot that was watching Kronos was captured and taught them our language. I hope he can return to us soon. The aliens call themselves the Sakkras and wish us peace.
2344
While watching the news, an urgent broadcast was released. The Sakkras have 6 planets, twice our number! I want to know how this information was not sent to me first! There must be a leak in the information network I set up to help understand our new neighbors.
2350
The Sakkras are running out of control with the number of planets they own! They now have eight and look to cover the whole galaxy. Fortunately, the colony on Stalaz is ready to start making colony ships for expansion. I decide to open trade relations, now that my information network has assimilated itself deep in to their culture. I'm surprised it will only cost me 3 Billion Credits to build and supply the new trad routes.
2351
Once the finished plans for the Factory 9,000,000! have been given to the general public, I feel more secure in our ability to focus our resources faster and expand quicker. To help in this manner, I focus the scientists on a way to make a supercity.
2353
And now there are four planets in the Human Empire! Toranor is a beautiful planet with rich grassy plains. I send 25 million of our most expert farmers from Vulcan to help start up the process.
2356
Not too long after, the water world Esper comes into the Human fold. Sol and Vulcan give a portion of their pop to expand ourselves.
2361
So many things happened this year! First, A new planet has been settled: simple little Guradas. Not too long afterwords, a new alien contacted the planet. These looked like overgrown canaries. My top xenoliguists (a branch of research started once open trade was established with the Sakkra) began translating it quickly. The new neighbors don't seem to like us 'land walkers' (that seems to be the closest term, though these aliens seem as naturally flightless as we are) very much, but agreed to open trade with us. He did leave me with one cryptic note:
"Heed this warning, Land Walker. A plague festers in the North."
2362
A horde of scientists march into my office with huge (mostly taped together) plans for a Super City, able to feed, house and employ 20 million people. As soon as the lead scientist finishes, the mob rushes back out of the room. I manage to snag a straggler long enough to ask what they are doing. "The Tech Leads wanted to work on the old Awaken the Dead Worlds project." I really don't see the point, as there are no dead worlds within our neck of the woods.
2364
I wonder if this is the Alpha? Oh well, Centauri is under Human control.
2365
The Sakkra leader called me earlier today. He mentioned that our peoples would benefit greatly by further trading, especially if we encounter a threat. I agreed, but before I could ask him how many more channels we could open, he polity excused himself from the conversation. This struck me as odd, but when I asked the resident Sakkran ambassador, she mentioned that the Broodlord did not like to make demands of others unless it was urgent. So later on in the day, I called him up and offered logistical plans for a new, efficient trade network. He seemed to swell with joy.
2369
Kataka now has our flag and feet in it's soil.
2373
In contrast to the last development, a single man - I think even the same one I stopped nine years ago - came to my office with the message that they had done it. When I asked him where the rest of the scientists were, he mumbled something about upgrading their computers.
2374
Rha, in all it's wealth from our trade, has little in the way of a police force. This rim system has attracted pirates to plunder both Sakkran and Human alike. I would love to help, but Rha is a Sakkra world, and out of my jurisdiction. But in response to that, the M.O.S. team (Mob of Scientists) have started to delve into anti-missile technology, specifically EMC based Jammers.
*Ahhh, the fun of this varient. It's already at 76%, and 84 before I readjusted for a quicker colony ship from Sol!*
2375
Similar as the Sakkra, a scout ship goes missing, a planet (Tau Cygni) is colonized and we get visitors speaking out language. Unlike the Sakkra, these 'Darloks' speak English quite fluently and coldly. They cover themselves entirely with cloaks. They make no mention of the pilot, but I do hope he is safe. I get their leader to agree to a modest trade before he turns off the holoprojector. He end the conversation so quickly that I have no time to tell them that their new planet has a colony ship headed straight for it! I am a little worried as to why all of their colonies are way up north, except for this little one right next to me. I wonder why he didn't colonize all those planets in between? Are they all inhospitable planets?
2378
Again, there must be some leak in the information network! It seems that the Darloks were the 'plague' the Alkari had mentioned. They were just able to find a lasting cure this year! I couldn't believe what horrors it must have been to have a planet-wide sickness on their homeworld for 17 years. Most diseases have been eradicated for nearly a century now on Sol. The only silver lining for this year is Aquilae has been colonized. It seems those labbies are more clever than they appear. The Awaken the Dead Worlds project had a sub-plan for frozen planets.
2380
I've begun to ship the vast quantities of minerals, ores, and metals from Stalaz to my newest colonies and poor Vulcan.
2381
Obaca proved Irradiated. Now on to the next two.
2382
The M.O.S. returned with two plans for an ECM Jamming system. The first is a weaker, but smaller and cheaper version, Mark I, while the second is twice a powerful and nearly twice as big. With as many planets and aliens out there, I ask them to work on a way to improve upon the way we scan, send, and receive signals in space.
2383
I take a risk and draw up plans for reserve tanks to be fitted to a Life to the Wastes Colony Ship so I can grab the curiously untaken Volantis.
2385
Tyr proves to have nothing in the way of even a stable planetoid and Yarrow is covered in magma flowing around cracked volcanic rock.
2390
The M.O.S. storm in with exceptionally loud jubilation. They have Improved our current Space Scanners. Even gave each ship the ability to scan up to two parsecs away from themselves. It seems we will beat a Sakkran colonizing fleet by two years. A little annoyed by how slow it would be to have a disaster on one planet and to try to send help, I ask to increase the speed of our ships. They respond by saying they will have to experiment with speeding a ship up while in a star system first.
*And here is the drawback of this variant. You have to plan 5 or 6 steps ahead. To misquote Sirian: I chose poorly.*
2392
The Sakkra settle Laan. *I had completely forgotten that I had 2 scouts just sitting around here.
* Tyranid then calls up a meeting with all four leaders to decide if one of them should rule the galaxy. He doles out votes based on population. He gets 9, I get 8, the Darkloks get 5, and the Alkari get a single vote. He then automatically elects the two with the highest population to be the two runners for the election. That would be him and me, of course. The winner will be the one to have 2/3rds or more of the vote. Each leader proclaims their choice for all to hear. Nazgur casts it's vote for the Sakkra. It seems that the two have had an Alliance for a few years now. This gives me the idea to start working for one once I settle Volantis. Tyranid votes for himself. The Alkari, who seem to taken a liking for us in-spite of themselves, cast their single vote for me. I take the diplomatic route. With a smile that I hope conveys sympathy and understanding, I abstain. The Tyranid looks disheartened until the ambassador whispers something to him. He gives me a small nod and concludes the vote inconclusive. A new vote is to be held every 25 years starting in 8 years. Later, I ask the ambassador what she said to her Broodlord. She said she told him that human value their independence for to much to just give themselves away when they have a fair challenge. She also noted that I did not want to hurt our friendship by selfishly casting the vote for myself, so I took the only other option: cast no vote at all.2393
And Volantis is mine! I call up Tyranid, Nazgur, and Skylord and ask each one for a Non Aggression Pact. They all agree. I even get more trade routes to Sakkra and Darlok worlds.
2395
The labbies have finished tinkering with their advanced intersystem booster jets. I have them try to find a way to double or even triple our ship speed.
2398
I think the labbies took me a little too seriously. They present me with an engine design that will triple our normal ships' speed and double our population carriers. I just sigh and ask if there would be any way to speed up the factory building on Volantis as I had vastly overestimated the population cap and sent just enough to max it out *or had a contingency plan in case the Sakkra did not accept a NAP or still sent pop to take the planet*.
2400
This second vote turns out as expected: a repeat of the first. The only difference is that I have an extra vote.
Afterwords, the M.O.S. pile in to show off their way to cheapen the cost of factories. This uses nanomachines to rapidly construct some of the finer parts of the product. As each scientists is scrambling to tell me something about this, or what it can apply to, someone in the crowd screams for everyone to stop! She then says that these nanomachines could be used to automatically fix any damage to a ship or any other metal based object. The group becomes a buzz of activity as they leave, trying to decided how to make self regulating restrictions and activations. I swear I can still hear them as they leave the complex.
Tech as of 2400:
Comp: 13
Const: 9
FF: 1
Planet: 11
Prop: 12
Wpns: 1
total: 47
score: 8
2404
So many complaints... The environmentalist groups are hassling me every day about how we are polluting our planets with such unmitigated waste! Don't they realize I'm spending a small fortune to clean up after the factories?!? Heck, a few years ago, Tyranid called me up to voice complaints from his people that we may invade their territories to expand. Why would I even do that to my friend?
Oh, what is it now?
The labbies have finished the Nanomachine Autorepair Units? Good, maybe they can help me with this. Or at least, the environmental problem.
2408
Well, one complaint down. I now want to add more planets under our influence. To appease my neighbors, I ask the techies to try to develop a way to speed up a young planet's cooling time.
2412
It seems Centauri is trying to give up the ghost. The local scientists say that it will blossom into a Supernova in less than a decade. Obviously, I call for them to find a way to rejuvenate their star.
2413
And one year later, the Centauri Labbies bring me news that, if they keep getting focused resources, they can develop and test a solar rejuvenator in 4 to 5 years. The rest of the scientists bring me plans for a colonypod that not only cools baby planets, but can also convert the air of the planet to an easily breathable atmosphere. They claim it should work on any planet that has a non-Oxygen/Nitrogen atmosphere. Since the population of our planets have been stagnant for a while, I ask them to devise a way to expand the Supercites.
2417
Two sets of good news! Centauri is like a new star! And we have an even bigger Supercity (10 billion more)! Now that we have so much in the way of population, I ask the M.O.S. to try to find a way to make our factories more efficient.
2424
Using the most advanced Computer controls and techniques learned from the nanomachines, the Labbies have found a way to double the efficiency of our factories. An unintended side effect is that less people will be needed to man said factories. I decide to release these new factory schematics slowly, so more factories can be built to accommodate the recently unemployed. With that out of the way, the expanding empire makes space travel feel so slow, so once again I requisition a faster engine.
2425
The election comes and goes, nothing new except everyone save Skylord has more votes.
2432
I don't think I've seen such a somber group outside of funeral. The entire horde of scientists trudged into my office and presented me with the new engine schematics. I was confused as to why until I came upon the speed of the device. It was only a third faster than what was already available. Well, given all the innovations and breakthroughs they've had in a past decades, a dud was bound to turn up. I give the downed group a cheerful smile and thank them for all their hard work. I offered a way to get their minds on something else by suggesting they find a way to cheapen factories, as seeing how we are still building new ones on every planet.
2435
Sklord called me up today. I was hoping he wanted to open more trade routes. It was not so. Apparently, the rich of his single world have grown sick of only hearing tales from us about the vast space and the varied planets within it. They want to see it for themselves, own a planet or two. With the galaxy nearly completely claimed, the only way to see the universe would be to take it from someone else. He recalls the Alkari Ambassador for a few years, as to not be seen as a traitor by the Upper Class. Before he left, I asked him if he knew if Skylord has told Tyranid and Nazgur yet. Somberly, he answered "Not only did he tell them, he declared war."
2436
Sklord had added me to his insane war. It seems I must save him from himself. I have designed a gunboat fitted with the best computer, engine, intersellar thrusters, and the special Inertial Stabilizers. This laser ship should be hard to hit. I also draw up plans for a Nuclear Bomber, though cheaper, it is slower when it comes to moving in the star systems.
2437
Skylord has already made his move! He has sent most all of his fleet to Centauri. I quickly dump most resources into building defensive Missile Bases, though I am not sure if they will do much good. As extra backup, I have Toranor pump Gunboats there as well. But, this leaves him open on his own planet. The first fleet of 60 gunboats and 180 Bombers will atempt to take the planet while they are away.
2442
As the old saying goes, "No plan survives the enemy". Both Skylord and I misjudged each other. With his larger fleet, he has nearly taken down Centauri, but I have been able to whittle down a nearly defenseless Altair. It is with a heavy heart that I realize next year should see Altair be destroyed. Had I been able to gain space superiority earlier, this could have been prevented. But the past is the past, nothing I can do about it, though I wish it were otherwise. Tyranid has learned of my crusade against the Alkari. He called me up to congratulate me on striking such a power hungry foe. I explain to him that I was merely trying to stop them from getting themselves killed in needless war. Oh the irony of what will happen...
2443
And so, the Alkari Empire is no more. All that is left are the 55 million last seen headed for Centauri three years ago. They will be found, rounded up, and sent back to Altair. They will have full Human Citizenship and will be free to go where ever they wish. It is the least I could do.
Beause of the great loss of life on Centauri, I have commissioned defensive Missile Bases to be built on all Human planets. Each planet will have a Base for every ten million people. I tell the techies to start researching something to protect our citizens in case of an attack.
2444
The M.O.S. have made centuries old fantasies real. Though they are not as flashy as one you'd find in movies, we now have laser pistols to protect our people. Now to form the NLA!
2446
Life after the Alkari is not a pretty one on Altair. During the time it took to build the colony ship UHI Welcome Home and fly it to Altair, all of the now unmanned power plants, factories, and Lord knows what else chugged along until they exploded. Half of the planet is either scorched or covered in sludge. At least we were able to find the missing Alkari Troops floating in space. It took many weeks of negotiations to get them to travel back to a Human controlled Altair. It didn't hurt that they were nearly out of food and life support.
Will history remember me as a savior or as a monster?
2448
Now the Labbies bring me a design for a stronger Bomb, this one working on fusion reactions to wipe out what ever it hits. I tell them to get back to finds ways to defend and protect the people!
2449
Reports from Aquilae say that a comet has veered off it's intended course and is on a collision course with the planet! Since it would take too long to get the fleet from Altauri to Aquilae, I commission a cheap dual laser drone to be mass produced on Aquilae itself and sent to slowly annihilate the rouge ice ball.
2451
My Chief of Security visited me today. He came bearing a gift from the scientists. A large and wicked looking rifle. Apparently, it uses a more powerful and largely untraceable faint Ion Stream rather than a conventional laser. When I attempted to contact them to direct them onto another project, I was given a recorded message that they were currently busy on a new project. I did take note that later in the day there was a large truck unloading huge bags of "FertoWaste".
2453
The Automated Drones have destroyed the offending heavenly body and will be sent home to be decommissioned. Due to their number, I expect this to take a year.
2456
The M.O.S. fill my office once again. This time they bring me a way to make all of our non-Hostile planets Fertile using techniques from the gas terraformation used in the cleaning of Toxic planets. At least that knowledge was being put to some use. I ask them a small favor of working with on improving the generic medical technology. Now that we have nanotechnology, surely that could come in handy for organic repairs as well as constructs.
2460
Taking the odd quest with their normal vigor, they produce a Nano-Pill that can destroy either a preprogramed organism, such a certain bacterium, or a cell that appears to be under the influence of a virus. The virus part is more damage control than a cure, but any pathogens that are roughly a micron or larger can be eliminated. To be honest, this was a much a publicity stunt as anything else. I, then, have them research a way to increase our sensors.
I also use this new cure-all to ask for a way to settle the last two planets within my reach. Tyranid gladly takes the offer.
2462
And the glowing beauty of Obaca is ours. Now on to Herculis. There is the slight problem that there is a Sakkra fleet of Small ships headed there. I contact Tyranid and inform him of my intent and that Herculis is far closer to my territory than his. He retorts that there could still be dangerous pirates or other malcontents using it as a base of operations. It seems that he is still over wrought about the major pirating incident nearly a century ago. He won't let his ships leave the planet until I have sent armed ships to defend the planet in case of incursions. *Note, this is fluff. I did not threaten Tyranid. I scared his ships away with mine. I didn't actually think it would work, to be honest.*
2466
It takes longer than I though to round up all of my ships, but they all arrive to Herculis. As per the agreement, the Sakkran ships leave a year before the fleet gets there. As extra insurance, I have the ships make a detailed inspection for the remainder of the year. This was helped in part by the newly upgraded Scanners. *New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, New planet - Click, Colonize? No - Click... Wait, What?!? Aggh!*
With the new reports on distant planets, we get an interesting bit of data. There is an unoccupied star in the North East corner of the galaxy! Unfortunately, it is 9 parsecs away, nearly twice our normal range. I get the Labbies to fix that.
2470
And fix it they do! Right on the money! With these deadly new planets, I ask them to design construction grade Exoskeletons to help prevent the loss of life.
2474
As Keeta is settled, I get the news that the Exoskeletons have been completed. With construction in mind, I ask if they can devise a way to increase the efficiency of our factories again.
2475
The Voting came and went. No surprises there.
2480
Using more advanced computer control, the factory nanites can now be 25% more efficient. Since the Alkari population has seen a boom, I decided to push our propulsion technology to new limits. If they want to see the galaxy so bad, why make them wait?
2481
Sad news today: In it's rush to build new factories, Centauri has overtaxed it's heavy metal deposits. The Centaurians just have the worst luck.
2487
"Tired of sitting in a rusty old clanker for half a decade just to get from Vulcan to Stalaz? Then come and see our fabulous cruise lines! Visit each and every planet in the Human Empire in under 20 years! We have the latest and greatest Ion Engine! Passengers may book from planet to planet or buy a System's Package! And we're having a massive discount on the Imperial Tour. -offervaliduntil2490-"
Well, with the current influx of Alkari pilots, I have my scientists devise a way to upgrade our targeting computers to be even comparable to their 3-D dog-fighting comprehension.
2491
These pilots are amazing! I watch as they just tear through the simulations like it was child's play. They tend to score at least Five times as better than their Human contemporaries. This is incredible! I decide to advance our knowledge of Mass Drivers to help the mining of asteroids.
2494
Centauri is indeed cursed... A freakishly powerful earthquake destroyed almost all of the SuperCity. 22 Million dead. Massive fundraisers have been pouring in as the weeks go by.
2496
It seems with more and more Alkari joining the military, an Altairian Cultural Movement is underway as the youngest generations of the Alkari are attempting to embrace their heritage. Part of that heritage is to prove oneself as a pilot. To compensate for the massive numbers of new pilots, I have the three Main Systems (Sol, Altair, and Toranor) as well as the metal Rich worlds of Volantis, Stalaz, Aquilae, and Herculis build the new Design the Destroyer. It comes with a militarized Mass Driver, a full complement of Ion Thrusters
Also, the Labbies have brought me not only the new Mass Driver, but also an Anti-Matter Bomb for vaporizing useless space rock material. After these were said and done, I request they find a way to cut my Waste cleanup budget in half.
2500
Need I say anything about the Election? 2/5 split. Just like last time, and the time before that...
Tech as of 2500:
Comp: 29
Const: 25
FF: 1
Planet: 24
Prop: 30
Wpns: 17
total: 126
score: 21
2502
And now the Cleanup Budget is halved. Before I can assign them onto their next task, they whole group wanders off, mumbling something about "Andy's Armor". Kinda creepy, if you ask me.
Also, there have been reports of a growing dissenter's group on Incidous. It seems that they feel little connection to the rest of the Darlok Empire. *Not that I have any thing to do with it...*
2508
It appears I was mistaken. They were talking about Armor made from a theoretical alloy called Andrium. Pretty hardy stuff, actually. With the some constant heckling from the environmentally conscious, I ask the scientists to actually provide a way to reduce the actual pollution output of the factories rather than make it cheaper for me to clean up. Not that it makes much of a difference to me though.
2512
The Sakkra report that a strange Amoeba-like being wiped out one of their outlying colonies.
2515
I can now look out my window and see a blue sky on any given day. A pity, I did sort of like the purple tint... *40% Waste cleanup*
2521
With nearly two decades of no news about the dissent, I was beginning to believe it was a quick adolescences' phase. Until that fateful day. A small shuttle pod landed on Tau Cygni with one badly injured Darlok. Along with it were tapes of secret police and concentration camps. Apparently, those who were even faintly suspected of having anti-Nazin sentiments were thrown into a camp, never to leave. We must stop this! We must liberate Incedious! *Seriously, these are the Darloks, but I outclass them in production and Comp tech (I think). I should have sabotaged something by now, or at least ticked them off. I never even got them to Wary! Are they actually Xenophiles, not Xenophobes?*
2523
Oh God. Those tapes were true and more. The Imperial Army waded through their troops and secured the planet. The grateful people eagerly flood our databanks with whatever scientific projects they had the plans to (BC VII, 5 Shields, Range 7, Gravaton Beam, Ion Cannon). We, in turn, update their factories and make them an official Protectorate of the Human Empire.
2525
The Darlok Emperor has retaliated, sending his two Great War Fleets to Guradas and Altair. Fortunately, all my contacts say that the Darloks can still only move at 1 parsec a year, giving me plenty of time to prepare. I might even have a little surprise for Guradas if all things go well. I desperately build up Missle Bases as quickly as possible and re-enforce the planets with my own fleet. In the midst of the war, the Labbies bring me a cheaper factory design. This will help a lot when building up the liberated Darlok Worlds. I ask them to find a way to lengthen our range for our ships' weapons.
2529
Two victories this day! The first fleet to attack Altair has been vanquished, but not without the loss of all of the old Gunner Ships. And the surprise attack on Paranar was a rousing success, gaining us more Darlok weaponry, shields, and another grateful Protectorate. The Giant Space Amoeba, as it is called by the public, has seemingly destroyed Regulus. If it weren't for the attack on the Sakkra, I would think this would be some sort of extreme way of wiping out rebels.
2531
Guradas is able to ward off the advancing Darlok fleet with the help of the new Battleship design. Though it preformed quite poorly in attacking the enemy, it's defenses are still top notch, nothing short of a huge fleet of Small ships could dare destroy it.
2535
And the second quick strike succeeds. This time an attempt to cut the head off of the snake. We took Nazin! Unfortunately, the 'ruler' of Nazin was a double. He said so himself as he detonated the Imperial Palace, taking out every soldier within a half mile radius - Human and Darlok both. What madmen the Darlok Imperials are!
2545
With the taking of Moro and Ryoun, I though we had him. But each time, he had merely placed a suicidal double. Confusing reports are coming in that he is on each remaining Darlok planet at the same time. This war will not end easily.
2548
The M.O.S. have finally resurfaced. They claim that they were so caught up in decrypting Darlok technologies that most every achievement they made was superseded by the next one. Plausible, but one part of their story doesn't add up. There was a seven year span where Hazmat suits were quickly seen entering and exiting the building. Oh well, the have shown me a new type of SuperCity, twice the size of the old one. I never dreamed that something this big could be called anything less than a nation. *Among other things, I researched Doom Virus and 60+ pop*
2550
This vote was new. There were 50 votes total and I had 26 all to myself. With the first lead I've ever had, I tentatively vote for myself. Even Tyranid seemed worried. If only he and I could rule as brothers.
2554
There was panic in the streets of Tau Cygni. Apparently, a clandestine group of Sakkras blew up six factories.
2555
My little labbies have brought me a new type of weapon, the Interstellar Torpedo. This is basicly an energy missile. Unlike a normal missile, does not rely on true ammunition, but rather on small homing device wrapped up in a huge ball of pure anti-matter (with a confining electromagnetic shield to both keep the anti-matter withing the 'bomb' and without the homing device, of course).
2566
I have now taken over Neptunus and Dunatis. With each, I uncovered more and more of a far reaching Darlok conspiracy involving the assassination and replacement of governmental leaders in both Sakkra and Human planets. What I uncovered on Neptunis cemented the fact that there were fakes running both Argus and Rotan. When I tried to tell Tyranid of these plots, he was appalled that I would insult some of his most trusted advisers. It seems that I will have to take them out on my own. May he forgive me.
2572
It is time to take down Argus and Rotan. May the Universe wish me luck.
2574
The attacks on Argus and Rotan did not go as planned. Rotan is ours, and we have captured the impostor, but his counterpart on Argus put up a strong resistance and the new Corvette designs, using Anti-matter Torpedos, failed to destroy the missile bases. The worst horror was the knowledge that the Sakkra are using biological weapons, no doubt through incentives from the Darlok replacements.
2578
The Sakkra have proven most heinous! They annihilated their former colony of Rotan from orbit. I can not fathom such an act. It is good that most of the other colonies within their reach have adequate defenses.
2580
Something is very wrong here. Tyranid wiped out the entire population of Altair. Not through bombs or guns, but through a virulent disiese. Even our best nanomedice could not stop it. Something must be done! Why would he do this?!? This is not like the Tyranid I knew for centuries. He must be an impostor.
I fear the only way to keep our planets from falling from a similar fate would be to build up a fleet intended to glass a planet in one strike and create a field of death between he and I.
I must become a monster to fight a monster.
2587
And so starts the glassing campaign with Kronos. May the Universe help us all.
2596
*Wiped out the Darloks. Conquer victory it is.*
2601
*Created Outpost, a Medium Colony ship to reach the last Sakkra world.*
2605
Won.
Here's what I meant by the Sakkra slingshot:
Comp: 44
Const: 47
FF: 41
Planet: 50
Prop: 45
Wpns: 35
total: 262
score: 43
Most of these techs I did not research! With each Sakkra (and to a lesser extent Darlok) world I conquered, my tech just kept jumping. But on the the actual scoring of my own game:
2400( 8 ) + 2500( 21 ) = 29.
Results post tomorrow.
Oh, and the main reason why it took me so long to do anything in the game was because I wanted a stronger lead on my opponents before I started to undercut them (invade their planets to better my votes while taking away theirs). But the Darloks just had to be nearly constant allies of the Sakkra.
Also: Really? Really?! One single, weakened Darlok planet vs. a maxed out Spying and no successful Sabotage for 30 yrs.? They wouldn't have had to die had they just let me set off a rebellion leader change. It was so easy last game... AS the Darloks... Stupid RNG not letting me play out my planned story better...
