"And I want to thank you! All you Psilons who wouldn't take no for an answer! All of you who heard them say weapons research was integral to the sciences and answered, no! We won't have it! Because of you, our mission is successful at last! Our goal is fulfilled! Weapons research is forbidden throughout the Psilon Imperium!" (Cheering!) "Teaching the basis of weapons research is forbidden in all Psilon schools!" (More cheering!) "The intellectual infrastructure of weapons development is being crippled for all of time!" (Uproarious cheering!) "As long as we stand firm - as long as we hold true - then within our lifetimes, we can ensure that no weapons development can occur for centuries!" (Thundrous applause) "That's how long it will take to rebuild the basis for weapons beyond the lasers and nukes we have today! Lasers and nuclear warheads! Who would have believed when these weapons were developed that people would be saying we need more, that these incredibly destructive devices are not destructive enough? Hear me! They are enough!" (cheering) "They are too much!" (more cheering) "We never will use more!" (cheering grows louder still) "They call us short sighted! They are the ones who want to put the tools of ultimate destruction in our people's hands!" (Tremendous cheer, shaking the walls of the convention center's main hall) "All we are saying..." (cheering crescendoes) "...all we are saying..." (pause for breath as cheering slowly quiets) "...all we are saying is, give peace a chance!" (Cheering rocks the convention center again, merging haphazardly into song.)
Mentar Military Headquarters, 24.3.2300:
(Storm Cerberus drums his fingers on the table, resting his brow in his upper hands as his fourth hand shuts down the newsfeed) "To do what?"
(Wave Cerulean taps both sets of her steepled fingers together) "Would you care to provide context for your question?"
(Storm looks up) "Give peace a chance to do what? They're not even in the argument. They don't know or care about the situation the empire is in. They say to give peace a chance with no idea of what it's supposed to be given a chance to do - still less how peace is supposed to do it! They..."
(Wash Ceremony softly clears his throat.) "On the contrary, they have an excellent argument of their own: Thirty-five million votes for their policies!"
(Pan Cerumen scratches his head) "Who cares about all that? Where are our starships going?"
(Wave lays her hands flat on the table in front of her) "To too few stars. We need more Discovery scouts built at once!"
Low Tyr Orbit, 17.7.2303:
"...Terran world with room for 85 million Psilons! I believe, as you hoped, you will get my report from this northwest red star before the colony ship makes its nearest approach to the yellow star in the east, and I fear we may have sent that ship to the wrong star!"
Surface of Celtsi, 21.9.2303:
"We are grateful for the message, but are nonetheless already forming our colony. This world has every bit as much to recommend it as does Tyr ... and we're already here!"
"I observe the first batches of Discoveries already bound for the outmost stars we can see, and the millions already boarding transports to join us here. The other colonists will be pleased."
Primary Mentar Planetology Lab, 15.6.2307:
"With so many amazing habitable planets so close to home, there's no need to think twice about barren ones just yet. We'll have plenty of time to work on barren technology if we need it after Improved Eco Restoration research is complete."
Outer Endoria Orbit, 4.10.2308:
"Unidentified starship advancing. Call sign is Silicoid Fighter. It is not responding to signals, and is behaving in an aggressive manner. Can this be a breakaway war faction - rebels against the cause of peace? If so, we must prevent them at all costs from establishing a foothold in space!"
Outer Endoria Orbit, 14.2.2310:
"Still no sign of the Silicoid Fighter since my retreat and return via hyperspace relay, but something's incoming. It's another starship - a new one! Call sign Klackon Scout! Attempting to establish communications ... failed. It has retreated to hyperspace. Is it the rebel faction watching our preparations?"
Outer Rhilus Orbit, 7.3.2314:
"Troubling signs; the rebel forces last reported in the Endoria region may be more widespread than we feared! An unidentified starcraft, call sign Mrrshan Scout, has just appeared and retreated from this system as well! I've had no success communicating with the Scout nor with anything in its direction of origin. Um, so with talking coming back zeroes, will someone remind me what other tools peace has in its toolbox while we're giving it a chance? Waiting and hoping everything comes out all right?"
Main Celtsi Planetology Lab, 5.09.2324:
"Excellent news! We've increased our waste cleanup efficiency by 50%, and are proceeding with Improved Terraforming +20!"
"With controlled environmental tech for barren and especially dead worlds still regarded as a low priority, this seemed the best course to take. No other developments were possible. I repeat, for the official record, no other technological developments are possible at this stage in the field of planetology. If military personnel are listening, please be aware there is no possibility of developing planetological weapons; none! It will never be a possibility!"
Mentar Military Headquarters, 5.10.2324:
(Storm slashes the air with the edge of his lower left hand) "Who does he think he's fooling?"
(Wash smiles blissfully) "It doesn't matter. You'll never get anyone to research such a thing. It might as well be true."
Outer Rha orbit, 28.2.2325:
"Impossible! I'm scanning an incoming ship off the scale of any heretofore imagined rebel capabilities! It's large enough to carry 2 million people and their life support equipment, at least! Call sign is Silicoid Colony Ship, and it must be their mother ship for this region of space! Attempting to open lines of peaceful communication ... attempting ... negative. It's disappeared into hyperspace."
Newly-established Celtsi Materials Physics Lab, 7.2.2329:
"Everyone's very excited about starting on Improved Industrial Tech 9; once the rebels see how technology is advancing under the banner of peace, they'll realize the error of their ways, and return to our welcoming arms. There's nothing to worry about really...."
Outer Rha Orbit, 12.1.2331:
"The Silicoid Colony Ship is back! And the Silicoid Fighter reported from Endoria appears to be in company! Attempting to establish communications ... attempting ... hold! The Colony Ship is now retreating, and the Fighter advancing aggressively! We're in danger of allowing the rebels to break the peace! I am now in full retreat!"
Low Rha Orbit, 5.8.2332:
"We should have known their warlike nature and rebelliousness would bring their doom upon them. I can see pieces of the Silicoid Colony Ship clustered on the planet's surface below, and no signs of the Silicoid Fighter. It appears that some kind of crystalline silicon structure propogated throughout the ship and damaged vital systems, causing them to crash on the planet's surface. No sign of the rebel Psilon inhabitants; just the silicon structures and the pieces of the ship, arranged in a surprisingly orderly fashion. Perhaps an effect of the crystal lattice. In any case, our automated laboratory-construction ship built last year at Mentar should be in no danger as it approaches Tyr - not from this group of rebels at least. Watch out for any crystalline formatiions developing among the warp cores though...."
Surface of Tyr, 18.9.2334:
"Our first planetary laboratory is complete; we should be able to develop the planet from here. Already, our work is bearing fruit, with new discoveries: Emanations similar to those from the crystal crash site at Rha have been detected from three other stars in the north!"
"This will require further study, perhaps with the aid of the Autolab 1.0 cruiser due to complete at Mentar next year...."
Mentar Military Headquarters, 19.11.2336:
(Storm taps the news console with his fingers, shutting it off.) "Where does the transmission come from, and what is that golden robot supposed to be saying?"
(Freeze Carob-Bella clears her throat) "We can't detect the source, and translations are still hitting a brick wall. We keep thinking we're getting close, only to come up with nonsense words like 'Silly Rocks' and things. We're pretty sure it has something to do with six star systems, but we don't know which six."
(Wave cranes her neck to look up at the ceiling) "Didn't we just detect those crystal emanations at a sixth system in the galaxy?"
(Pan yawns quietly.) "Obviously a coincidence. When does our Autolab hit Vega? And where are our new Point Defense fighters headed?"
(Wash spits out his water) "Fighters? Defense?!"
(Storm smiles like a cat in cream) "Haven't you been paying attention? The PT DEFs are our new laser fighters, to discourage rebel forces from threatening our colonies or taking aggressive action. Never to attack, of course; they're fighters for peace!"
Outer Vega Orbit, 21.1.2337:
"Something's wrong! I'm detecting another cruiser-class starship, call sign Silicoid Colony Ship, just like the one that crashed at Rha! Are we sure that wasn't a decoy? Is it possible the rebels are spreading those propogating crystals intentionally? I tried to communicate with the ship, but it went into immediate warp retreat...."
Mentar Propulsion Lab Grand Opening, 15.8.2337:
"...and with Hydrogen Fuel Cells to quickly get us started, we will open the way toward new horizons in propulsion research from this day forward! We follow a great tradition of Psilon scientists - and now even pilots - making amazing discoveries, beginning this year at the crystal-infested world of Neptunus!"
"Observe the massive quantities of pseudo-industrial waste built up there by propogation crystal activity, reducing a vast and beautiful world to a wasteland of radioactive decay. Already, plans are being formed to solve this disaster and others like it with our existing IER technology, but we could never have begun without this discovery!"
OOC Note: There are actually many factories and Silicoids on Neptunus of course, but there seems to be a bug in the planetary display, such that it does not show the correct population or factory count at an alien world until you end your turn (or load the game) with the scouted world in scanner range (or do so with a ship in orbit). In this case, of course, the bug fits the story nicely...Surface of Vega, 4.6.2339:
"Even as our scientists, forgoing the evils of ECM and Battle Computer combat technology, start work on a Deep Space Scanner for still greater discoveries, we stand ready to support them! For this ultra-rich planet of Vega shall be hereafter a machine shop for the use of all the scientists among the Psilons, an experimental apparatus construction center for all the galaxy!"
"Our Autolab has assembled our first manufacturing center already, and we shall build it into a wonder of factories even as tens of millions come to join us from Tyr! Our time has come! Let us seize the day!"
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Next: Peace? Really?
