Galactic Dreams(Stellaris, Interactive/Community)

[mrkilla22]

Let's research Zero Point Power!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

Let's research Zero Point Power!

Hrm, I was hoping you'd go Uplink Miniaturization, as a quicker followup to enhance the previous choice.

(not criticizing or griping, just thinking aloud a bit)

[Brian Swartz]

2282

2282.04.04 -- Gabbog has grown big enough to build a Planetary Capital. When it's finished, the large frigid planet will be on roughly equal footing with the rest of the core planets.

06.02 -- With the new boosts from the scientists assisting with planetary research, new orbital stations, etc., we've reached the threshold to add another colony. Efoll(Ocean, size 23) in the former Djomar territory is the next target.

08.14 -- First contact with the Conglomerate of Shantaxavani. That's a mouthful. An avian race of individualists and pacifists, they are clearly not to be trusted. They have a moderate-sized empire of 10 planets directly on the opposite side of the galactic core.

09.05 -- Our new relations are apparently not going great as the Shantaxavani have closed their borders to us. Like we're going to journey way over there anyway.

10.09 -- Physics Lab upgrades completed on Bakangi.

2283.01.06 -- Brief diplomatic message from the Qravadox Star Consensus, consisting of only five words: 'Let us end this charade'. They have declared us to be rivals, rattling the saber. We can do the same in return, the usual response which will at least give us an influence boost, or ignore them. This could indicate that the QSC is putting itself on a path to war ... or merely that they are vainly preening for the benefit of their citizens ...

02.29 -- Humboldt has finished it's lab upgrades. All four of our fully developed core worlds are up to date there now.

03.02 -- Deep Core Mining research has just finished. After the recent completion of lab upgrades, the core worlds and beyond will swing back into action with new provincial construction, this time to improve our mineral output. The opportunity will also be taken here to replace some mines that are not sitting on particularly lucrative deposits with more research labs. Humboldt is the only planet where that is really relevant -- a few mining networks were built there back in the first decade or so of the Oncorhychus Collective, networks that were vitally needed at the time but are now virtually superfluous.

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

How shall we respond to the QSC's declaration of a rivalry? Ignore them, declare them our rivals in response, and/or some other action?


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

** Carrier Operations(Voidcraft, 41 mo.) -- Unlocks Basic Fighter Wing & Basic Bomber Wing. The bombers do more damage, but still on about three-quarters of what our present bred Amoeba Flagella do. The military brass believes this is a gateway tech that could lead to more advanced strike craft, however.
** Deep Space Outposts(Voidcraft, 7 mo.) -- Entry-level project for static defensive stations.
** Durasteel Armor(Materials, 49 mo.) -- The next step beyond Plasteel, Durasteel is a third more effective. The engineers believe that durasteel would rival our current crystal forged plating, but would not be quite as effective(about 95-96% as good) even on our largest ships. It would get things close though, and there may yet be more developments in armor materials down the road.

** Autocannons(Materials, 2/43 mo.) -- The one reverse-engineering possibility that may be useful at some point, autocannons are nearly identical to our current railguns in terms of their damage profile, but the principles involved might potentially be carried much further than standard projectile weaponry will allow.

Dr. Coffee Warlord and Inquisitor Roe Laren, you're on the clock.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

How shall we respond to the QSC's declaration of a rivalry? Ignore them, declare them our rivals in response, and/or some other action?

Is there a "isn't that cute, they think they're relevant" option?

[Coffee Warlord]

We in Engineering do not wish our shiny new battleships to be harmed. Or scratched. Or dented. We don't even want the paint rubbed off.

THerefore, we need Durasteel Armor.

Also, early research indicates Durasteel acts as a perfect insulator for travel coffee mugs.

[chesapeake]

The Fist of Boojie would squash them like grapes, so we may as well get the influence boost out of it. Make them our rivals. I expect that they will regret the day that they chose to make us their enemies.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Is there a "isn't that cute, they think they're relevant" option?

*Snicker*

2283


2283.03.02 -- The QSC replies that our 'vapid insinuations will fall on deaf hearing-membranes'.

03.16 -- The final battleship of the current run has been finished; six of them in all at the moment. A combination of those expensive ships and the continued station construction has nearly equalized the economy(+13 energy per month). We are getting a pretty meager 0.4 influence from the Qravadox rivalry, but it's better than nothing.

06.02 -- Dr. Coffee Warlord is up to the maximum 5-star ability now. Corperial's the only one who hasn't gotten quite there yet, but he's very close. Meanwhile, the new colony ship is ready and heads to Efoll.

07.01 -- Tried to take down the Hanneri Outpost but it turns out that we still need it. It'll go eventually, but that might be decades yet.

07.22 -- A big moment for Gabbog as the Planetary Capital on the arctic world has been finished. Several upgrades are now in order there.

08.02 -- Dr. David Corperial has hit 5-star ability. All of our research directors are now there, as well as a few others.

2284.01.02 -- Research on The Collective Self has been finished.

[Brian Swartz]

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Dense Jungle Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- As you might guess, these tend to appear on Tropical planets, which we have not yet learned how to colonize.
** Administrative Efficiency(Statecraft, 51 mo.) -- +1 Core World added, allowing us to control 6 instead of 5. Not a huge difference when we have a few dozen planets, but being able to guide another big ocean planet would be useful.
** Terrestrial Sculpting(New Worlds, 23 mo.) -- Unlocks strategic resources Terraforming Liquids and Terraforming Gases, as well as the related ability to build Terraforming Stations in orbit. This would allow us to turn, for example, Arctic planets into Ocean, and so forth. Uninhabitable planets would remain so, but anything habitable could eventually be terraformed into an ocean environment fitting for Architreuthis to live on.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock. Some interesting choices this time around ...

[Brian Swartz]

Moving on now: I'm selecting Terrestrial Sculpting as the best long-term benefit.

[Brian Swartz]

2284-85

2284.02.04 -- All mining improvements finished on Eskogg; the planet is now fully upgraded once again.

10.11 -- Agglor has finished it's provincial work as well. It's been another quiet year of development, with no disturbances at all.

2285.04.23 -- Bakangi is finished as well as the latest round of improvements is starting to wrap up.

09.01 -- New colony on Efoll up and running, added to Deesh sector which now has three planets and four systems.

2286.01.02 -- Terrestrial Sculpting research is completed. We presently have access to 8 Terraforming Gases and 6 Terraforming Liquids deposits within our territory -- these are strategic resources much like the 'Troutstones'. Gabbog, our fifth core planet, is a perfect test case for how this will work; a max-size Arctic world that we should benefit notably from turning into an ocean environment. We'll need a terraforming station to start out, so that'll come first and it'll be a few months before a construction ship can get there. Then we'll see how that works out. I don't know if we can terraform sector planets or not, we'll have to take it as it comes.

As you can see, there isn't a whole lot going on that's worth reporting. This can of course be a good thing. Nothing mokre than the usual saber-rattling from the QSC. Overall, the economy is pretty well-balanced right now and stable. Probably the majority of the post-war orbital constructions have been completed, but quite a bit still remains, mostly in the lower areas where we expanded with the frontier outposts. We're pretty much dead-even overall on energy, right now at -1.79 per month. There's almost 3.5k of a 4.25k limit in the bank though, so we've got more than enough saved up for any rainy day that might descend. An extended war would hurt us economically, but that's about it. Plenty of fleet capacity(235/382) but as usual funding is the limiter. Minerals are at 331 surplus a month after the recent mining upgrades, having held in the high 200s for quite some time prior to that. Research continues to inch higher each year ... slowly.

On the aging front, we've passed enough time that despite the 20-year bonus, that's starting to become a thing again. Coffee Warlord should begin to have a chance of dying of old age next year -- he's a ripe 122 right now. Several others will reach that point in the next few years to a decade from now ... unless something happens to stave it off or we just get lucky. Incidentally, it occurred to me just now that I forgot to recruit a couple more governors after the Collective Self research opened up a couple of slots. Having now done that, the only thing we do not yet have leaders for(up to max of 16/16 now) are three of our six sectors; all five core planets, all scientific needs, admiral, general all covered.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Quicksand Basin Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.)
** Doctrine: Space Combat(Military Theory, 6 mo.) -- Still not an issue as we're at about three-fifths of logistical capacity right now, numbers previously mentioned.
** Volcano Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- There's five of these in the core planets, so we'd get a bit of a boost by having access to them.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock again. I'll make a selection Thursday or Friday if you're not available.

[DavidCorperial]

Volcano Removal

[Brian Swartz]

A quick and verbose response. On we go then.

2286

To begin the year, along with the new terraforming station being ordered, another round of spaceport upgrades utilized a few thousand minerals sitting idly in storage. Most of these are in the newly acquired former Djomar territories, the rest in recently colonized systems. Everywhere else we can build at least destroyers if we choose to.

06.22 -- Gabbog has now upgraded all of it's provincial structures to the latest available standard. There's enough population to supply a couple of new buildings, beginning with a new hydroponics farm to support further growth, but the frigid world is now a fully productive planet otherwhise.

11.02 -- Volcano Removal research completed. Bakangi, Agglor, and Gabbog are the affected core worlds. The first two of those will begin clearing operations immediately.

Another six months is expected until Engineering is ready with the new armor; reactor research from Physics has nearly four years left yet.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Engos Vapor Refining(Biology, 12 mo.) -- Unlocks the spaceport module Engos Refinery, as well as revealing the Engos Vapor strategic resource. These refineries increase ship weapon damage by 10%. I don't know if this affects all ships in the system the spaceport is in, or all ships built there, but either way it would seem to be a good thing for the navy.
** Noxious Swamp Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- A jungle planet obstacle. As far as I know, we have no planets with these ... we can't colonize tropical etc. planets yet.
** Gene Crops(Biology, 23 mo.) -- It has been a very long time since we improved our food production capabilities, but that would be possible with this advance. The level III version of Hydroponic Farms would be made available, allowing for us to use less space for food and more for ... anything else. Like the research labs we can never get enough of.

Dr. David Corperial, it appears to be an interesting choice you have up next. You are on the clock.

[DavidCorperial]

Gene Crops

[Brian Swartz]

2286-87

2287.01.05 -- Looks like the Bhenn'Thell Imperium intends to dominate the entire core region; they have just declared war on the Polity of Oxx-Oxx, with whom they've long had an uneasy peace. As for the Collective, our work continues on the massive spaceport upgrades and periodic provincial improvements.

01.19 -- Eskogg starts work on a new science lab, having cleared a volcano from the area. Bakangi does the same a few days later.

02.17 -- Hydroponics farm up to date on Gabbog. A volcano will be cleared there as well, in an area that is well-suited for engineering studies.

02.30 -- Terraforming Station operational at Gabbog. The process of changing it to an ocean environment begins. It will require a full decade. I'm curious how this will work -- there are seven blocked 'massive glacier' provinces on the planet, which I assume will be turned into something we can at least clear out. We'll find out in ten years, I guess.

I didn't realize until a bit later that it sapped a significant amount of our energy. I think 1500 to 2000 of it. At any rate, we are down to 1707 with a deficit of 7 per month(3 for the terraforming station). This could become an issue again for us, though it would be a pretty small matter to disband a small part of the navy if it came down to that.

05.02 -- Durasteel Materials research completed. That was quite a brief session.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

** Mineral Isolation(Industry, 47 mo.) -- Further mining developments including advanced spectrometry, fracking, and chemical flushing allow more rapid development of mineral resources. +1000 to our storage(presently 17k) and Mining Networks IV & V are unlocked.
** Superfluid Materials(Industry, 75 mo.) -- Unlocks Engineering Facility IV & V.
** Robotic Workers(Industry, 13 mo.) -- As previously mentioned, these are 'buildable population units' so they allow for more rapid colonial development. Producivity-wise, they are slightly better miners than a free pop but not as good as a slave ... though further robotic improvements may be possible.
** Nuclear Missiles(Rocketry, 0/7 mo.)
** Autocannons(Materials, 2/24 mo.)

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are now on the clock.

[Coffee Warlord]

Sorry, was on vacation.

Mineral Isolation! More minerals!

[Brian Swartz]

2287-88

Moar minerals it is. For some reason, when I loaded up the game I found an energy deficit much bigger than expected -- about 20 a month, enough to last about 7-8 years yet but definitely a problem. Not sure all of the why, but part of it is related to Gabbog. It seems citizens don't take kindly to a planet being terraformed while they are living on it. Which is sensible, but hadn't occured to me. Happiness has gone in the tank there and one pop is already moving away. So we've definitely got some economic challenges for a bit here, but worst-case scenario would involve just disbanding a few ships. Nothing very serious.

10.04 -- The QSC is integrating another vassal, the Haddam Commonwealth, which is on the opposite side of their territory from us.

2288.05.19 -- The Oncorhynchus has lost another of our long-serving leaders. Dr. Coffee Warlord has died at the age of 124. He will be known for guiding the advancement of naval technology with such emphatic pronouncements as 'More Minerals!' and, of course, 'MAKE THEM BIGGER!!!!'.

Dr. Tarc, merely 109, has been tabbed as the replacement. He'd fit better at one of the other departments, but his genius cannot be matched by any other potential. Tarc is the new Director of Engineering Research, while a new scientist is recruited to fill his spot on the Jaschalgur. He's actually expected to be slightly better than Warlord in terms of research speed.

As always, you may rejoin or not, as you prefer. The history of the Architreuthis has not yet been fully written ...

10.18 -- Bakangi is fully up to date again, having replaced it's volcano province with a new physics lab.

11.02 -- Gene Crops research completed. Farms will be upgraded, and in the core worlds at least, we should be able to get a few more other buildings going with the freed-up space, probably more research labs. As usual, we are slowly growing our way out of the energy problems, up to about 14 per month in the red now with 1.3k still in the treasury. Once Humboldt is ready, we can upgrade to a couple of more Troutian power plants there with recently claimed deposits to aid that situation. Also, the truce is over with the remaining Djomar and Tycan league elements; if the Inquisitor wishes, we can finish them off. They are of no threat to us anymore.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Xeno Diplomacy(Statecraft, 23 mo.) -- Unlocks the Federation diplomatic option. Seems unlikely we'll ever need it at this stage. Tweaks to the game have changed Federations from a very common thing on release to the point where I don't think any are going to form in our galaxy, for good or ill.
** Desert Colonization(New Worlds, 23 mo.) -- Desert planets would be good for our arid slaves such as the Shantari and others.
** Massive Glacier Removal(Arctic, 9 mo.) -- Definitely useful for arctic worlds such as Gabbog, although I don't know what happens to them after terraforming. Of course, we probably won't be able to terraform all the arctic worlds we settle, so it could still be valuable.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

He's actually expected to be slightly better than Warlord in terms of research speed.

Since he's replacing a 109 year old, I would hope he's a little faster

[JonInMiddleGA]

Meanwhile, given the longevity in the game, it's hard to not picture us as being a civilization run by Dr.Farnsworths

[DavidCorperial]

Desert Colonization

[Brian Swartz]

2288-90

11.24 -- A new observation post has been finished in Rakaron. The species to be studied are the Karabnar, a Renaissance-Age civilization that have the appearance of amphibious jellyfish. Also, the Deesh Sector has been developed enough to start supporting significant taxes. This knocks a bit off the energy deficit, but not that much.

2289.08.26 -- Physics Lab upgrades finished on Humboldt. Took a while there as they can build the more advanced ones. For the first time, the Physics Dept. is no longer bringing up the rear ... things are quite even but they're second ahead of Engineering.

09.15 -- Agglor and Bakangi have finished upgrading their hydroponic farms. Both will be able to replace one with a new science laboratory, improving the use of their territory.

10.21 -- Gabbog's hyrdroponic farms are up to date now. The planet is now producing almost twice the food it needs, which will help boost the population there. A new Engineering Facility is next up for them.

11.23 -- Eskogg has finished the new farms as well. It will replace one when it reaches full population again, but for now it'll keep them to finish off the growth process.

12.02 -- Well, that was unexpected. A Djomar has immigrated to Eskogg, as far as I know the first one in the core worlds. Hope they enjoy slavery.

2290.01.11 -- Humboldt's lone farm is up to date, and it will now begin the important work of replacing a couple of it's standard power plants with the 'Troutian' variety. Power has dipped down to -20 again, but we'll have a lot better handle on where that will end up in another year or so.

01.21 -- A situation has developed on Pavagh ...




Our approach to such situations is well-established, but nonetheless I will ping Inquisitor Roe Laren here, and other thoughts are also welcome.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by JonInMIddleGA

Since he's replacing a 109 year old, I would hope he's a little faster

Well actually, it's worse. He's 109, replacing a 124-year-old :P.

Also, as an FYI, all three departments figure to finish up their current research within the next year. An influx of new options will be coming soon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Our approach to such situations is well-established, but nonetheless I will ping Inquisitor Roe Laren here, and other thoughts are also welcome.

The phrase "It's a trap" springs to my mind here.

I'd advise staying the current course ... for all the weight that carries of course

[Coffee Warlord]

Following in the footsteps of his ancient father, Dr. Coffee Warlord II will await assignment.

Praise be to Boojie.

[chesapeake]

It refers to 'local legislation.' If we lift it, will it just affect this planet or would it be empire-wide?

[Brian Swartz]

It's a local situation only. There's no indication of any impact beyond the Pavagh system.

[chesapeake]

The High Inquisitor is greatly displeased that a provincial issue such as this has disturbed her longevity treatments. But, since she has been disturbed, she has decided to authorize the pompous poindexters' request. And please ensure that the petty bureaucrat who decided it was important enough to interrupt the H.I. is transferred out of the Imperial Capital. Far out. Far, far out. For his/her own safety.

[Brian Swartz]

2290

Essentially our Pavagh research resulted in a two-year decrease in the happiness of the locals, exchanged for 250 Society research, a little under a month's imperial yield. Truly distressing is the impact on the Inquisitor's latest manicure though. Shortly after these events, the last of the latest wave of orbital stations was completed. We're getting close a new stability economically, though there seems to be no end to the planetary changes.

2290.06.02 -- Zero Point Power research completed. The fleet will be outfitted with the new reactors, part of a comprehensive and much-overdue refit.

09.02 -- Desert Colonization completed.

A couple of new choices are now coming up. As for Dr. Coffee Warlord II, he is the latest addition to the research team, taking Dr. Tarc's old post on the [i]Jaschalgur[/b]. Though Warlord is particularly skilled in discovering anomalies, it doesn't seem likely there will be much call for that. He is the youngest scientist by nearly seven decades though. Helping with planetary research may seem a rather menial task, but he'll have greater opportunities soon enough.

[tarcone]

Dr. Tarc is excited about his new post. Even though he will be making research decisions from his hospice residence.

[Brian Swartz]

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Subspace Sensors(Voidcraft, 20 mo.) -- Unlocks Subspace Sensors, which provide another small weapons accuracy bonus(from +2 to +4) and have somewhat larger range than our present varieties. Survey speed is also bumped up by 5%, but that doesn't seem likely to be a significant factor anymore.
** AI-Controlled Colony Ships(Computing, 11 mo.) -- Colony set-up time is reduced by 25%, or three months each. Another issue that is becoming less important, at least for now.
** X-Ray Lasers(Particles, 41 mo.) -- Another advance in our standard laser weaponry(33% armor penetration), offering a moderate increase in firepower.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Galactic Benevolence(Statecraft, 29 mo.) -- Unlocks Ministry of Benevolence. This building has an imperial reach, so we'd only need to build one, presumably on Humboldt. It helps to keep the population unified, granting a 15% decrease in ethical divergence. Note: this is a RARE technology.
** Tundra Colonization(New Worlds, 22 mo.) -- As it says, another type of habitable planet can be settled. A number of Tundra worlds are available for us, and they are reasonably acceptable -- similar to arctic in suitability at a 60% happiness.
** Manifest Destiny(Statecraft, 36 mo.) -- Here is yet another RARE possibility. With this, border generation would be increased by 20%, allowing us to push further into unclaimed territories or also into that of our neighbors.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock as well. Two rare possibilities and a new planet type -- this may not be an easy call.

[DavidCorperial]

Galactic Benevolence

[mrkilla22]

Let's research X-Ray Lasers

[Brian Swartz]

Got sidetracked a little this week and I've been slacking. I think I'll throw the next update at the end of the weekend, since some of the Collective has this bizarre thing called a 'life' that they attend to during that timeframe anyhow. Then we'll try to get some more progress made next week.

[tarcone]

Maybe we will get a technology that eliminates the need for this thing called 'life'.

[Brian Swartz]

Ok, here we go again.

2290, Part 2

2290.09.11 -- Observation result.




09.17 -- Pavagh raid.




300 energy credits were lost. As of yet, nobody has come up with a permanent solution to these annoyances.

10.07 -- New lab up and running on Gabbog, even as another pop begins the emigration process.

12.25 -- Bakangi's latest physics lab is finished, leaving the planet fully upgraded.

12.27 -- Fleet upgrades at the borders have been completed, ending up taking only a few months. The Fist of Boojie is expected to require well over a year before it is completed however.

2291.02.02 -- Mineral Isolation research completed.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Tarc

** Superfluid Materials(Industry, 65 mo.) -- Unlocks Engineering Facilities IV & V.
** Carrier Operations(Voidcraft, 34 mo.) -- Unlocks Basic Bomber & Fighter Wings for use as strike craft. They aren't as powerful as our current amoeba flagella, but could open the door to further advances.
** Robotic Workers(Industry, 11 mo.)
** Autocannons(Materials, 1/21 mo.)

Dr. Tarc, you are on the clock for the first time as Research Director. Choose wisely.

[tarcone]

It's time to gear up. The future is near.

I choose Carrier Operations

[Brian Swartz]

2291-92

** OOC Note: First things first; Heinlein patch is out ... and we can't use it :P. It breaks previous saves, which I found out after over an hour messing around with things naturally. Terraforming, ship designs, habitability, sectors(actually adds the Collective-requested ability to have sectors not enslave people and a few other things), strategic resources, a whole bunch of things got changed. It's highly officially recommended to stay with the current version, so that's what I'll be doing. The incompatibility was doing cool things like invalidating our battleship designs, stopping the terraforming on Gabbog since they totally changed how that works now, etc. Too bad since there's some cool stuff in it, but that's we(I) get for starting this up on release.*

So, Carrier Operations it is and on we go.

2292.05.30 -- Humboldt didn't have as much as the other planets to do, but it's upgraded with the new mining networks.

07.17 -- The Fist of Boojie has finished it's nearly two-year upgrade. Admiral SirFozzie reports approximately a 9% increase in combat effectiveness, which isn't bad at all. However, there is now an energy crisis requiring the Inquisitor's attention.

Inquisitor's Briefing: Inquisitor Roe Laren

The facts of the case are these: energy reserves are nearly gone. 63 is all this is left, and we are hemmoraghing more than ever with the fleet upgrade, over 37 a month. That means that in less than two months, if we don't take action, a number of provincial buildings will stop operating and the economy will flounder. That would be bad. Not to mention that colonization, instead of being slowed down, had ground to a halt for this reason. For comparison, we take in 440 energy per month, so the deficit is only about 8.5% of the budget. Drastic measures aren't really necessary to deal with this, but we do need to do something.

The previous plan had been to disband some of the fleet if we reached this point, which is still an option. However, the new mining improvements suggest another alternative as well. Each mining province now produces about 3 minerals per 1 energy required for maintenance, some of them as high as four. This means that our orbital mining stations, most of which only give a 2:1 yield, are now are pretty inefficient source. For some years now excess minerals have been used to upgrade spaceports. This aids in defense obviously but the fleet is still expected to do the heavy lifting, and adds naval capacity that we don't really need. The only time that we need more minerals is when going through a big period of ship-building/expansion. How should we handle this situation?

** Disband a fairly small part of the fleet.
** Eliminate all of the 2-mineral mining stations. This would give us a significant surplus, and we might even be able to expand the fleet as a result.
** Eliminate enough mining stations to allow for an decent buffer, but leave some of the smaller ones running.
** Something else?

Inquisitor Roe Laren, what approach shall the Collective take? You are now on the clock.

[chesapeake]

The High Inquisitor appreciates the creativity of the staff that prepared the options. She orders that a decent buffer be established by decommissioning inefficient mining stations.

[Brian Swartz]

2292

At the Inquisitor's order, more than 50 mining stations were given evacuation and self-destruct orders, allowing for a +15 monthly energy balance. This would allow for reserves to begin to recover, an important thing in the event the fleet is needed for more expensive operations than holding station in orbit(nearly 50 energy per month is the estimated savings of doing so right now). This is probably somewhere around half, maybe a little more, of our least efficient mining stations. More can be decommissioned if needed, which will happen if the energy surplus drops too low. As is, the mineral surplus per month dropped from 380 to 270, so we took a nice bite out of it and would like to not chomp off any more if we don't have to.

As a result, the next colonization push could be begun as well, with research efforts continue to gradually rise. Next up was Shaula, a good but not great size-19 arid world a bit further out in the middle arm on the edges of the Ibannic Nebula. The nebula itself holds three worlds of interest; a max-size desert planet for our 'helpers', a size-22 arctic and a size-24 ocean for Architreuthis. Based on our experiences with Gabbog, we are definitely going to want to terraform the arctic world before colonizing it. That will probably be the next target, or at least one of them, if the current experimental effort is a success. That's about halfway done by the way, with completion expected in '97.

Anyway, Shaula is basically a 'stepping stone', getting us closer to the nebula without burning a ton of influence needlessly. Of course, with the Theq'Lak, we use nicer-sound PR bs, extolling the 'opportunities' and 'new frontiers' of the Shaula system.

08.09 -- It was realized that, due to a clerical error(i.e, I was an idiot and forgot) there is one more Troutian Power Plant to be built. That effort began on Humboldt.

11.23 -- Agglor is now fully upgraded with new mines.

11.26 -- A volcano has been cleared on Gabbog in an area suitable for Society research. A new lab will be built there.

12.10 -- Eskogg has finished it's upgrades as well.

2293.01.02 -- The continuing building of new mines has shrunk our energy surplus again, something that will probably happen for a while. Five more mining stations go away, dropping the mineral supply down to 269, pretty much where it was a few months ago. As usual at the first of the year, another round of several more spaceport upgrades commenced as well.

02.02 -- Galactic Benevolence research is finished. In a little under a year, the other two departments will finish their current tasks.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Tropical Colonization(New Worlds, 21 mo.) -- Tropical worlds are moderately well suited to us, though a little too wet for our 'assistants'. We've found a good number of decent ones. We have options for where to colonize and won't run out soon; this will give us more choices, which would probably increase the quality of our new planets a little eventually by giving us more good options.
** Quicksand Basin Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- One of the more common problems encountered on the drier worlds(Desert/Arid). The ability to remove quicksand would help significantly on those planets settled by the Shantari and Theq'Lak, of which we now have several.
** Xenology(Biology, 11 mo.) -- Unlocks the strategic resource Alien Pets. They are good for trading with with xenophiles. And that's pretty much it. Yay?

Dr. David Corperial, you are now on the clock. Have at it.

[DavidCorperial]

Quicksand Basin Removal

[Brian Swartz]

2293

02.07 -- Bakangi is now up to date as well.

05.01 -- Another round of mining stations are abandoned, as energy continues to shrink while new mining networks are built. The yo-yo continues ... but this will only last so long. 10 of them this time. Mining output has stayed pretty constant throughout this process, but is now a bit lower at 262(a few research labs eat into the energy budget as well). There aren't that many left to disband at this point, but the energy reserves are over a hundred and steadily rising, so it is progress in that regard.

07.21 -- Colony ships finished in Andack, and it makes it's way to the third of four moons of the second planet, a large gas giant. This world is good for rapid growth of the Theq'Lak, and also for Society research with multiple promising locations.

09.29 -- Dr. Coffee Warlord II is wasting no time, up to *** skill already.

11.02 -- Quicksand Basin Removal and X-Ray Lasers research are completed.

2294.01.02 -- Carrier Operations research completed. That ties things up nicely in a bow at the end of the year. The Shaula-bound colony-ship is in system, and work will soon begin on that setup. Energy is at 211 and continuing to climb, with the margin seeming to have stabilized for now, and all research departments have wrapped up their current projects and ready to move forward.

The aging thing is really starting to come to a head now. We have lost anyone else yet, but Gen. Eusrim and Gov. Palmieri have been on borrowed time for a few years each. Starting a year from now in '95, that will the case for others as well ... including the Inquisitor. Best make sure your affairs are in order, Architreuthis titans -- only the rocks live forever.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Self-Aware Logic(Computing, 20 mo.) -- Unlocks an extra research option, increasing the default from 3 to 4.
** Particle Lances(Particle, 51 mo.) -- Unlocks the Particle Lance, a new, powerful massive weapons system. There is only a large version of these, but focused particle beams have been demonstrated to be very effective. Estimates are that they are at least a third better than our best current ship-based weapons, with 75% armor penetration. However, power usage is tripled as well, so there will be less space to devote to armor and shields on any ship deploying them -- a lot of reactors will be needed instead.
** Interlinked Support Systems(Computing, 26 mo.) -- Unlocks Barrier Point Defense, an upgrade on our current first-gen Sentinel option for that role.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Noxious Swamp Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- These are mostly a tropical-world thing I think.
** Orbital Hydroponics(Biology, 6 mo.) -- Hydroponic Farm modules that can be built on spaceports, allowing for less space on the planet for that and more for other things. They are, however, less efficient than most planetside hydroponic farms(3 food for 1 energy).
** Dense Jungle Removal(New Worlds, 9 mo.) -- Another tropical-class world provincial obstacle.

Definitely cleaning out more of the short-term projects here.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Tarc

** Standardized Cruiser Patterns(Voidcraft, 40 mo.) -- Unlocks Cruiser Construction Yards. These do the same thing as the Corvette and Destroyer variants that we already have; increase speed of construction by 25% and decrease cost by a tenth anywhere they are built.
** Impulse Thrusters(Rocketry, 52 mo.) -- Unlocks Impulse Thrusters, which increase by sublight speed by an addition 10% and evasion by 5 over our current third-gen plasma variants.
** Standardized Battleship Patterns(Voidcraft, 76 mo.) -- Unlocks Battleship Construction Yards, with the usual benefits.
** Autocannons(Materials, 1/20 mo.)

Definitely some interesting choices to wrestle with here. I have a feeling Admiral SirFozzie would happily take any of these toys.


Well Doctors, you know what to do. All three of you are on the clock at once, and we will proceed once everyone has reported in.

[tarcone]

Impulse Thrusters

[muns]

Ive been shocked ive lasted this long. I keep re-reading updates to make sure I didn't miss the death notice.

[DavidCorperial]

Dense Jungle Removal

[mrkilla22]

Let's research Self-Aware Logic

[Brian Swartz]

Not quite yet muns, though unfortunately since fairly early on there's been jack diddly for you to do.

2294

2294.01.02 -- Good news to start off the year as the Deesh Sector has progressed to the point where taxes have been raised to the maximum level there. Still on Energy Focus though, as they have just enough; it's too thin a margin to switch over to research yet.

02.17 -- First contact with a race of ... felines? The Ruphaari Polity. Located on the 'bottom' of the galaxy, they are xenophobic isolationists; they hate everyone, and even if they didn't, they'd prefer to be left alone. Okey-dokey. They also control only one system, and are a protectorate of another minor empire ... in other words, who gives a %&$!

02.24 -- Initial equipment has been off-loaded onto Shaula, and the setup process begins for our 39th planet.

02.27 -- The Ruphaari Polity closes borders with us, as if we give a darn.

03.04 -- The latest Troutian power plant is completed on Humboldt, making the homeworld back up to speed ... except that we need a Ministry of Benevolence. The least productive research lab, for engineering, will be replaced here.

03.12 -- At age 125, Governor Deacon Palmieri has died. Longtime leader of the problematic Occupied Territories, he has been second only to the Inquisitor herself in terms of political importance. We have two max-level governors at the moment, and one of them will be transferred from Agglor to take over that post. A newly-recruited, research-oriented governor takes over in turn.

03.19 -- Lab upgrade finished on Gabbog, and all useful construction is up to date there as well, for now.

04.26 -- The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Assembly of Vun-Okon Dominions has declared war on the Qravadox Star Consensus! The QSC is stronger ... but not that much stronger. Mostly they are just bigger(21 planets to 6). This leaves the Oncorhynchus Collective with a choice: shall we attack the QSC as well, or continue to concentrate on internal matters? Neither side has any allies.




Fleet Assessment: Both Inferior
Naval Capacity: Vuk-Onon are Pathetic, Qravadox are Inferior
Technology: Both are Equivalent. This is a recent change by the way; it seems our research efforts are finally bearing fruit. Only the Bhenn'Thell and the Buhavilaa still have superior tech to us.

So, what will it be, leaders of the Collective?

** Let them fight out what they will -- we will continue to focus on internal development.
** To war!! Stab the Qravadox in the back, expanding our territory and weakening our most cantankerous rival at the same time.

Ask your questions if you have them. If not, place your thoughts in the appropriate receptacles. Naturally, Inquisitor Roe Laren is on the clock as she has the final word here. And of course, if Palmieri has any relatives, friends, or vague associates who want in, that can happen now as well.

[muns]

I am all for going to war and expanding again.

[chesapeake]

I am inclined to agree, if our energy reserves can handle it. Give them a little time to battle and then strike them with the might of Boojie's divine grace. Any objectors out there?

[tarcone]

Fist em

[Brian Swartz]

Preparations will be made tomorrow evening then if there are no contrary opinions by the. The energy point is a good one though, and one I hadn't really thought about. If things go as planned(ha ha ha) ... but no seriously, if they do, and we enter the back door when all the action is at the front door, it should be a quick conflict. Say a year and a half. Right now we have 250 energy, which would last about six months. If we do this, I'll decommission the rest of the low-efficiency mining stations which should be roughly enough to get us through. There would also be a several-month delay while we get everything in place, esp. the troop transports which are furthest away, and for part of the time we could bank a little more.

We'd actually be able to take about six planets, only one of which is well-developed. More than any other war, it would really need to be a well-coordinated blitzkrieg action. Definitely points up the importance of maintaining a better energy reserve, which we've done for the most part, just not recently. We shouldn't have any of the delay problems we had against the Djomar, because it's a compact part of space where we'd be hitting one or two pretty much every jump, and just as importantly, the Qravadox aren't a wormhole race so they can't surprise or out-maneuver us nearly as easily.

[ntndeacon]

Deacon Palmieri Jr. should enter the game in whatever role that would belp the Boojie