(-begin auto-delayed beacon transmission-) "The sitting RBO-20 is clearly out of his mind. Public opinion is turning against him already, but I'm not going to wait until he's finally ousted from power or our weapons become obsolete. The Bulrathi have been at war with us almost since the moment we met them; its high time we gave them a motive for working toward peace. I'll get court-martialed for this, but history will thank me!"
"I see we're setting up an experimental ship lab at the ultra-rich world of Ryoun as well; I hope a new RBO-20 is elected in time for us to make the right kinds of ships there!"(-end transmission-)
Low Whynil Orbit, 18.4.2414:
"The incoming Bulrathi Tooth cruisers are armed with Heavy Blast Cannons! Our Perimeter 3 cruiser couldn't have held them off indefinitely even with its repulsor beam and auto-repair. We had no choice but to fire on them when they attacked us, and to destroy them when they refused to stand down. Seven Probe 3.0s were lost in the course of this sad, unnecessary battle; may future fights be avoided preemptively!"
Bio Lab Imra, 21.5.2414:
"We have at last developed the capability of terraforming planetary atmospheres to improve hostile wolds' ecologies, and new chief of research Surgeon Cerotype is already running with the idea, seeking ways to improve the healthfulness of already-fertile worlds' atmospheres and surfaces via Advanced Soil Enrichment! Surely if we can accomplish this, we can find a way to make peace!"
Interstellar Space, 19.8.2415:
(-begin auto-delayed beacon transmission-) "I am now departing Ursa with the tiny, crippled remainder of my fleet. We received warning that we are being sought for court-martial, and chose this suicide run on the Bulrathi homeworld, a far better option than some self-righteous peace-obsessed preacher's idea of due punishment. Had we not exhausted our full store of nuclear bombs, we'd never have retreated, but with the planet down to just two missile bases, I'm going - I won't say where - to refill our bomb bays and gather such reinforcements as will join me for one last run on the planet in a few years' time! If this weakling RBO-20 wants me at his schoolmarm-style court-martial, he can come to Ursa and drag me home from there!" (-end transmission-)
Gorra Transmitter Relay, 5.10.2415:
"Certainly, Crystous; as always, we want nothing more than peace. We would be happy to end the conflict between our peoples. With your massively polluted world of Esper cleared out by our EIRs earlier this year to make way for our cleanup crews, your timing is especially good. Delay any longer, and it will be hard to guess what may happen with the growing unrest among the Psilons. In fact, earlier this year, a group of Psilon rebel pilots protesting our current RBO-20's peaceful policies gathered at our Toranor colony, and have begun raiding merchant ships as pirates to reduce the wages of peace. Now is therefore an excellent time to make peace with us, before it's too late! You need only agree to galactic environmental law, cleaning up all your waste, submitting Environmental Impa... Crystous? Crystous? ... Now, why did it break the connection? I thought it wanted peace!"
Fierias Electronics and Computer Technology Lab, 9.7.2416:
"I've got the secret Mrrshan plans for ECM Jammer Mark II along with a gratifying report from GNN, thanks to our new Romulas colony!"
"If the news droid is right, leaders are getting ready to merge with us, which can only - I hope, at least - mean achieving peace! I hope so most of all for the sake of the alien races; if we nearly control a majority of the galaxy today, think what it's going to be like next year, when we land our cleaning crew at Esper and colonize the rich world the Bulrathi called Paranar, which will become our experimental ship lab's western annex."
Low Xudax Orbit, 2.5.2417:
"I understand that our Perimeter cruisers and their fighter support were forced to destroy yet more aggressive Silicoid and Bulrathi war fleets earlier this year, including a huge Polaris dreadnought, and this news saddens me. I dearly hope that we will soon return to purely peaceful activities, like removing the pollution-causing factories and attendant Silicoid population here to allow for eventual waste cleanup."
Main Mentar Electronics Research Complex, 17.7.2418:
"Tremendous news! We've finally perfected our space scanning capabilities, and reports are already coming in from planets all across the galaxy!
Better yet, we've just started research on Improved Robotic Controls V and managed to inform the Materials Physicists just in time to get them working on the best available Improved Industrial Tech as they completed their waste reduction project almost simultaneously with our scanner breakthrough!"
Mentar Warp Propulsion Laboratory, 8.4.2419:
"I don't believe the reports of popular unrest - this nonsense about pirates at Toranor and a small fleet of rebel EIR pilots bombing Ursa from orbit after losing nearly all their small numbers in a suicide run against its bases; these calls for Leak Scarab-Alum to step down as RBO-20. Everyone I know loves RBO Leak, and who could object to the galactic situation when our EIRs have freed Proteus from its polluting oppressors, with Impulse Drives just developed and Ion Drives on the way? These rumors are surely blown out of proportion by a minority opposition; nothing could possibly convince the peaceful Psilon people to turn against an overlord so unbendingly committed to peace!"
Low Esper Orbit, 15.1.2420:
"No problem here, even though our colony is still barely-formed and working on slowly cleaning up the planet's waste. Almost 50 Morey destroyers are hardly a concern in spite of their death spores; our Perimeter cruiser can keep them away from the planet easily. It's time to prove yet again the validity of Leak Scarab-Alum's doctrine of purely defensive action in case of war."
(Perimeter 3.0 moves to repel Morey destroyers, but miscalculates slightly, as the presence of another Silicoid ship directly behind them prevents the repulsor from functioning from its current position)
"No problem; it's a mistake anyone could have made, and they still can't reach sporing range with their current speed; they..."
(Morey fleet rushes directly toward the Perimeter and past, a cloud of ships all around)
"We ... no ... NOOOO!!! DISENGAGE THE REPULSOR! CUT OUT THE REPULSOR BE..."
(Automatic repulsor fire accelerates the Moreys toward the planet's surface; a cloud of spores is released, thick enough to choke the entire world)
"We've lost two million civillians - the first and only Psilon civillians to die from other than natural causes since the era of space exploration began! We destroyed the attack ships at the same time, but we're too late to save the colony! It's all my fault! I should have paid more attention and ... oh no; RBO-20 Leak's policy! Just because following it left one of our clean-up colonies open to total destruction in the case of a single navigational error, people are going to believe it's a flawed policy!"
Mentar Peaceful Diplomacy Center, 16.1.2420:
(RBO-20 Leak Scarab-Alum holds up all four of his hands) "Let us not leap to conclusions and reject the wise course we so long have set, just because of losing a mere two million civillian lives! We've only lost a single colony, and though my opponents claim peace is hopeless with our oldest friends declaring war with no provocation, I'm convinced that peace will be restored with all the galaxy's races, no doubt in the election due to be held in five years; after all, consider Narzina! In spite of what my predecessor did at Whynil - don't pretend now that it was the right move! - and the resulting war, Narzina and the other Darloks agreed to peace, and that peace has lasted, and will last, for no bonds are forged stronger than those that have been tested and re..."
(In the background, the emergency diplomatic holoprojector comes to life, and Leak spins to face it)
"Wait, but ... 'Psilon slime,' Narzina? Isn't that a little harsh? Wait ... but ... you're declaring war?! But why ... wait, Narzina, we ... wait; come back! Can't we discuss..."
(The crowd that had gathered outside the Diplomacy Center roars, and not with approval for their emperor...)
Mentar
(The new RBO-20, Iac Seraph, addresses the gathered Psilon council) "It has always been my position that if we are unwilling to fight for our right to rule ourselves, we will inevitably be conquered by those willing to fight to rule us. I'm just sorry that we had to demonstrate it here: Leak will not be executed for his treason in locking himself in here when the election went my way by a three to one margin and trying to force his policies on us for what he called our own good, while raving about the Psilon people being tricked. He shall live out his days in the comfortable madhouse cell he deserves. Now, let's put that ugly business behind us. Along with our election victory, we have our clear poll results. My point was well taken when I pointed out that the alien civilizations, so-called, had all been rapidly researching weapons technologies, to say nothng of death spores and the like. To welcome them and their cultures and knowledge into our empire would be to violate the code under which we have lived for one hundred and twenty years. Moreover, our plans are progressing: Once Class X shield technology is researched and such shields are installed on all our worlds, each of our planets will be immune to fire from all our existing weapons - but not those of the other races of the galaxy! If we are complacent, someday one rogue pilot with a shield of class 7 or more and a single advanced bomb bay will be able to bring civilzation to its knees. If we are to eschew weapons technology, we must eschew all races who partake of that technology - which means all the non-Psilon races in the galaxy!"
(Coral Syrup taps both sets of steepled fingers together) "Come to the point; you spoke of the polls. Our people are well aware of the threat from alien military forces, but also of the millions of innocent non-Psilon sentients around the galaxy. Surely those who merely tolerate murderous emperors should not be punished along with their leaders! What is your mandate for dealing with the alien races in a manner safe for us but fair to them?"
(Iac waves a hand) "To expedite the deity-mediated redistribution of the entities in question."
(Coral Syrup coughs slightly) "... What exactly does that mean?"
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Next: Let God Sort 'Em Out!
