The Human fleet arrives at Bootis with its previously unidentified huge Dreadstar, which turns out to be built entirely from reprocessed lame. My ships retreat, and my bases don't bother firing, providing Lasitus with a peaceful option to save his ships, which he wisely takes. So much for the fighting. This was probably more kindness than he deserved, as everyone is whining at me anyway for being so much bigger and stronger than them. I am reminded of an ancient Klackon saying: There are worse things in the galaxy than being lonely.
2389-2400:
I successfully work out plans to cut my factory construction costs in half in 2391. The process relies upon new advances in materials physics that promise a chance for still greater factory miniaturization, as well as the project I choose instead: A theoretical construct long assumed to be a physical impossibility, Tritanium Armor might actually be susceptible to mass production using my new Primodius-Artemis techniques! To my vast relief, in the meantime, Zygot makes peace with the Silicoids and Bulrathi. I would gladly form an alliance with either or both of my long-time friends now, but I doubt they'll agree - you'd think they'd be happy to be on the winning team, but instead, their emotions are ruled by jealousy. (Or, to put it another way, they're all huge crybabies.)
The development of advanced robotic controls in 2394 paves the way for nanoscale computer circuitry built entirely by machine, which could be used to double the accuracy of our battle computers ... or to work toward the achievement I most desire: An Advanced Space Scanner with which to observe the whole galaxy! Over the next few years, as my planets build up their factories and my neighbors complain loudly, I develop Stinger Missiles for more efficient defense and Fusion Drives for more efficient ... diplomacy. My next projects in those fields will be Ion Stream Projector (I'll likely never use Fusion Rifles, though they would admittedly be nice and noisy, and would make pretty flashes; I might never use the Projector either, but the project seems simpler to complete, and far more interesting) and Warp Dissipator (which wouldn't exactly be state of the art, but the only really new and interesting thing I could see that would grow naturally out of Fusion drives was a new form of fuel cell which I would never need). And then, in 2398...
...Sedimin proves once and for all that silicon-based lifeforms have yet to evolve any brains. His declaration of war actually comes as something of a relief, as it will heal my strained relations with other species! Monch immediately agrees to join the war effort again, and though Zygot drives a hard bargain...
...I have the 775 BC to spare, and he willingly declares when I agree. It will be especially valuable to have a common enemy as 2399 sees the quadrupling of my terraforming capabilities, which means my neighbors will only have more of me to envy. The bioengineering and environmental renewal systems that contribute to this latest level of terraforming also may open the way to Atmospheric Terraforming and cloning technology - I fear the latter may lead down a slippery slope though, and leave it alone, for now at least.
In 2400, some newly-built Termite 4.0s - nuclear bombers with fusion engines and inertial stabilizers - reach Thrax.
The council vote goes just like the one in 2375, except that the rocks have lost one of their votes, which somehow seems to have found its way to me! There's going to be more of this coming, I'm afraid.
2401-09:
My diplomatic fleets simply weren't thorough enough last year - indeed, Monch complained about my overwhelming strength again - so after a Silicoid colony ship (I think that's all they have left of a "fleet") retreats from my Stinger base at Ukko, I make up for the lapses, with even more ... diplomacy.
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Next: Revelation
