2401: We colonize Guradas, ever hopeful in spite of the manifest danger we're in. Unfortunately, I also spot an absolute death fleet: Fully a dozen cruisers of three different designs escorting two Titan dreadnoughts and a Colony Ship, and bound for Vox as best I can determine. My only hope for keeping the planet would be making peace before the fleet arrives, which might be impossible - if they're all fitted with Sublight Drives, my best calculations put them at Vox in 2405!
2402: We finish work on our new battle suits, and begin on Zortium Armor as the only way to advance the state of the art. Meanwhile, our last Plover 1.0 reaches Selia, and its design is replaced with a faster, reserve-fuel-equipped Plover 2.0L as soon as it finishes constructing a colony there. Meanwhile, my best data analysis teams go to work on the Sakkra death fleet, using combined location information from the past two years.
As you can see from this double-exposure image, centered on Orion, we have determined that their most probable target is not Vox but Selia, that at least some of their ships lack Sublight engines, and that they will therefore arrive sometime in the range of 2406-2408. Also visible are some of the many transports making the long, slow journey to Ajax, northeast of the screen. Our rich, new colony has no hope whatsoever of survival, but at least Vox is safe - for the moment, at least! This level of intensive scanner data analysis will continue as long as the war lasts, or until we finally design a better scanner capable of determining destinations and ETAs automatically.
Off in the east, three Bulrathi dreadnoughts and a single colony ship are inbound to Phantos, probably from Misha, which I presume they glassed. I obviously can't stop them from forming an ursine colony with that fleet, so I won't lose too much sleep over it when they do. In continuing discussions with their emperor, I find many of Krungo's offers more tempting than they used to be - it's amazing how a war like this can change one's perspective! - and I agree to the ridiculously lopsided trade of Battle Computer Mark III for our Enhanced Eco, partly to strengthen Krungo against the Sakkra, but mostly to miniaturize my computers, provide me a real combat computer for the future, and increase my spies' electronic warfare capabilities. For similar reasons, and to improve my intelligence reports, I also accept Deep Space Scanner for my Controlled Tundra, especially as the latter should allow him to attack more of the more vulnerable Sakkra worlds. (OOC: Here, I saved the game and quit just for a moment, then opened it right back up again. The game's command display only checks for new scanner techs on the interturn or when loaded from the save, so this step was necessary to get immediate use out of my deep space scanner.) My new scanner reveals that the Sakkra have insane numbers of missile bases on the worlds we've scouted nearby, as well as a few more death fleets moving around near my part of space.
Hoping for still better intel reports, I design a new Hawk Eye 2, a long-range destroyer with a battle scanner, plus a stabilizer, high maneuverability, and a single NPG.
2403: Phantos is now a Bulrathi world, as anticipated, and I call on their leader yet again, as the miniaturization we managed last year wasn't all that Kestrel had hoped for.
At this point, I'm willing to accept Fusion Bombs for our Dotomite, which should give me some hope of someday damaging Sakkra bases, while miniaturizing all our weapon designs. The dotomite crystals I gave Krungo should also give the bears a chance to actually mount an attack on Sakkra worlds, though that doesn't mean they'll actually do so. Meanwhile, with little to no hope of my Nest 1.0 ever completing a colony, I scrap it in favor of an NPG fighter called the Talon 2.0, with a stabilizer, high maneuverability, and a small computer, to take full advantage of our Star Wing pilots' incredible skill in battle!
2404: Additional in-depth scan analysis suggests that an enemy fleet thought to be bound for Vega might instead be making the long trip to Xudax, but work to protect Vega continues; it's too critical a world for me to take any risks.
2405: Our Hawk Eye 2 brings in a scan of the main Sakkra cruiser designs. The good news - indeed, the great news - is that they move at a crawl in combat. The Colossus ships are planet busters, with seven fusion bombs apiece and three death spores for good measure, but with only heavy lasers for ship-to-ship fighting. The Valkyries have better shields but a weaker computer, so they should roll over in a nebula, but will be dangerous space superiorty ships anywhere else. I put our top military strategists on devising plans to deal with these fleets. Meanwhile, a group of Sakkra spies blow up a bunch of Vega's factories, and frame Krungo for the deed. The subordinates officers who bring the report to Yreet Kree all curse the bears, but she's not fooled, and neither am I.
I make a desperate bid to save both Vega and Firma, scrapping the Hawk Eye in favor of a Talon 2.1 fighter, identical to the 2.0. I also call on Darquan again, as his fleets have re-taken Misha, but he remains unwilling to break with the Sakkra in war or peace, so I don't bother trying to initiate a new trade agreement. Sauron himself is willing to talk to again, however briefly, and I take avantage of the opportunity... but apparently, no matter what terms are offered, his pacifism does not extend to the point of actually making peace! Production of the new Talons therefore commences, and our emergency defense plan is put into effect! We'll lose Selia, of course, but there's a chance it might be all we lose - in the first wave at least! Better yet, we can begin to consider an offensive! Altair will begin with a million volunteers for a suicide transport to Paranar. They will perish, but in a noble cause, and determine the exact transport delay for that route through the Altair nebula. This single transport may help save hundreds of millions of lives, and those who will die are honored throughout the empire for their sacrifice.
2406: There is no battle at Vega! Our scanning analysis teams were correct! Vega's defense fleet will therefore depart for Xudax to meet the Sakkra fleet.
2407: The Sakkra destroy Selia as expected, but we do achieve a small victory: The planet was just able to finish a Talon 2.0 before they arrived! And ... wait a minute ... there's no battle at Firma! The giant fleet headed that way passes, and is instead on its way up to Esper! Further examination of our scanning reports suggests that the smaller fleets are mostly going the same way ... except for one that will be at Firma next year!
2408: A small Sakkra fleet reaches Firma as expected, and is destroyed at the cost of 14 Talons, just over a tenth of those present. Our survivors head up to Esper to take part in the battle there. For inscrutable reasons, the Sakkra don't wait around to colonize Selia, but fly off instead toward ... Paranar, Guradas, or Beta Ceti; I can't tell which. I would really, really like a better space scanner. Fortunately, work on one is nearing completion this minute!
2409: The enemy arrives at Xudax, and our 80 Talons respond. The Sakkra have a colony ship and three Colossus planet-busters, but thanks to the incredible efforts of our Star Wing Clan pilots, we win the battle with no losses of any kind! What's more, our spies come through against the Bulrathi, with a shot at every field but computers! This likely means Ion Rifles and Hard Beams are both out of play, so I select construction ... and get Duralloy Armor - not terrific, but definitely not bad! Next, colonizing rich, toxic Yarrow gives us contact with the two-planet Psilon empire and their leader, Zygot the honorable industrialist. (OOC: The traditional Stunted Psilons of the double-digit Imperia. This is not normal in most games ... but anyone new to the game will have to take the veterans' word for it!) After exchanging courteous greetings, I arrange for an annual trade agreement of 275 BC, and see what kind of technology he has to offer.
Since he's no threat, I accept his Improved Terraforming +10 for my Improved Eco because it's literally the first opportunity to get terraforming for our worlds I've ever seen! This lopsided deal pleases him so much, he offers Improved Terraforming +30 for our Enhanced Eco, and I agree to that one too, thereby rendering both sides of our first deal obsolete. (OOC: Here, I saved the game and quit, only to start it right back up again, again to get immediate use out of my new technology. I'm pretty sure the terraforming would have happened either way, but this causes my colony screens to display accurately, making colony management easier for me.)
2411: The biggest Sakkra fleet yet encountered (not counting the one to which we waved a white flag at fledgling Selia) arrives at our Esper colony! The Valkyrie is disposed of easily, but the Colossus cruisers are coming in with 112 fusion bombs racks and 48 Death Spore pods! Our pilots do their best to form a running screen, but with just two fleets, even Star Wing Clan pilots can't hold the fleet off forever!
Worse yet, a swift-moving Sakkra Colony Ship managed to take Firma's orbit when I briefly had no fleet there - I had forgotten the accursed Sakkra could auto-refit their colony ships continuously with their best possible (now Impulse!) engines! Only two factories are destroyed, but transports will be coming at any moment!
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Next: Never Surrender! There's always hope!
