My diplomats continue their good works, not incidentally providing me with another rich world to colonize. Zygot is extremely happy, and a master of the obvious, noticing as if for the first time that our two empires share a common enemy. Hoping to bring Lasitus into my circle of friends as well, I suggest that he join my Sili war...
... and agree to his extortionate request because frankly I no longer care if he can "attack" my dead world colonies. He signs up at that price in the year 2378, which is incidentally the year when Kholdan reaches its maximum complement of population and factories for the first time in history. Yes, I said Kholdan. No, I didn't neglect my homeworld to feed other colonies. My homeworld is Maalor, remember?
Ryoun is mine now, and my fleet slows its diplomatic overtures at Cryslon to make them at Aurora as well. Silicoid transports do arrive at Rayden, to reinforce what had been their colony, and I don't have enough of a fleet in space to kill them all, but my transports arrive first, and the rocks are lucky I take even three losses in battle, as my troops have dug in as defenders, and are wearing Zortium battle suits, while the Silicoids wear only titanium dress uniforms over their rocky skin. 2381 is also a big diplomatic year, as Lasitus tells us our diplomatic offensive is a ringing success, and accepts my offer of a NAP. I give him a nice spot on the mat alongside the other children. Monch also asks us to join him in an official alliance, but I sadly inform him I refuse be allied to an enemy of Zygot - nor however to one of his own enemies. I also ask Sedimin if he's had enough, as blowing up rocks grows tiresome eventually, and I honestly don't like killing when it isn't necessary, but he says, "No, please kill me more." (Sigh.) Very well. My heart isn't really in it (and neither is much of my fleet) but especially after Monch gets confused by my one-year hiatus from Silicoid bombing and yells at me about getting too big, I reluctantly resume bombing.
This proves insufficient incentive for "honorable" Lasitus to maintain his Non-Aggression Pact with me, though at least he retained it for most of four years - four times as long as our trade package and peace lasted after his first contact with me! I now suspect however that our pre-election peace treaty was still in force through those four years, and he was only waiting until that expired to break the NAP as well. Honorable indeed! The good news is, I've made a new discovery: My new missile jammer will help protect my worlds from Human aggression in case they actually need any protection, and when combined with Zortium manipulator arms, the advanced circuitry I devised to make the jammer possible should also be applicable to our factories! I get to work at once on Improved Robotic Controls IV! It might also be used for a more advanced battle computer, but that seems like a waste to me; what use could my people possibly have for such a thing?
Sadly, Cryslon does not survive the renewal of my diplomatic offensive. This time, it's very effective, bringing everyone but the Silicoids (even Lasitus, though he still won't talk to me) peaceful feelings toward me, and even persuading Sedimin to come calling.
While I agree the war is senseless, I'll bet he wishes he'd brought this up before I turned his homeworld into a glassy wasteland - even silicon-based creature that he is! With the Humans' biggest fleet en route to Bootis, I decide to build far more bases than are likely to be necessary, so as never to have to worry about building any more there ever again. So with Silicoid peace concluded and no danger apprehended from Human cold war fleets, I can turn my attention to more important things.
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Next: More Important Things
