2481: The Galactic Core Fleet arrives at Bulrathi Imra. Our Sstingersses validate Maniac's faith in them by wiping out the eight Bulrathi bases there in a single volley. Then our scientists come through for us with a Warp Dissipator, and we pretend to start work on Intergalactic Star Gates with no intention of actually working on them. We decline to bombard the pitiful world of Imra from orbit only because I don't want to wasste a design sspot on a colony sship for it, but M5-35 neverthelesss comes by to ... congratulate uss. It ssays that between the two of uss - the two mosst powerful empires in the galaxsy by leapss and bounds - we can challenge the "threat" of the evil Bulrathi empire. Challenge them, eh?
Challenge them?! It ain't sseen nothing yet!
Hundreds of millions more lizards board asssault transsportss and sset out as our cloning labs race to replace them. We're building fewer Sshadows thiss year, in part because of the big Silicoid fleet inbound to our woefully under-defended ultra-rich world.
Fortunately, it'ss not the ssort of place that sstays under-defended for long.
We continue funding Force Fields heavily - I want Absorption Shields ASSSSAP* - and planetology isn't far behind. Only token invesstmentss in the other fields though, exscept (reluctantly) for Weapons. Additional fleetss disspatched.
*- That's "As Supremely, Specially, Sublimely Soon As Possible."
2482: The battle for Kakata ssees itss bases wiped out completely. We ssuffer zero lossses because Merculites are very sslow - though not sso sslow as to be without rissk. The following tacticss are known in the halls of Sakkra power as "Fancy Flying." They're known in the military sservice as "Sscraping passt by the sskin of your teeth!"
Sstabilized Impulsse Engines rock. "Wait"ing is for ssisssies.
At the battle for Hyboria on the other hand, the Sstinger pilotss fail to pay proper attention to the ssituation, and three of the sshipss are therefore lost. The bases are neverthelesss desstroyed with no further lossses, and our Cannon cruiser takess out their ssilly Grizzly dread. Nexst, our sscientisstss come through with a Personal Absorption Shield, with time to sspare before the firsst land invasion of my adminisstration! I go for Class 9 deflectors insstead of Class XV planetaries, in sspite of the ~15% cost difference, for four reasons:
1) It's almost as much of an upgrade at bases, but doesn't need a sspecial sshield consstructed.
2) It can be fitted on sships if desired.
3) It advances the tree.
4) We're never going to finissh either project anyway.
I nexst have the option to bomb three different alien worlds, but of course I don't. That jusst wouldn't be ssporting! (Bessides, I want those factories!)
Ssevere overkill fleetss disspatched to Exis and Proxima; ressearch committed primarily to planetology and (sstill reluctantly) weapons.
2483: It'ss time for ssome mayhem! At Proxima, the Bombss race the Sstingerss' misssiles to ssee who can kill the planet firsst... and the bombers win! The planet'ss bases are desstroyed with no lossses before the firsst sstinger volley can reach the planet, or the first merc volley catch our sshipss! Nexst is Exis ... where the Bulrathi have a brand-new Dreadnought, far ssuperior to any other sship we've sseen from them to date!
Ssadly, it retreatss before our sstingers can blow it out of the ssky. Momentss later, our Sshadows prove themsselves for the firsst time, wiping out all the planet'ss bases in one volley with (of coursse) no lossses.
Nexst, the Bulrathi attack Ukko. With "attack" redefined as "retreat." But then we get a really
interesting fight: The Silicoids have come for Ultra-Rich Beta Ceti! Some of their sshipss are almosst dangerous, but fail by taking "unfocussed" to an entirely new level. Their numbers are sso enormouss, they're ssort of dangerous anyway, but we beat them off without any really ssevere trouble.
With those all desstroyed or chased away, we have four opportunities to bombard Bulrathi planetss from orbit - all ignored once more - and then the fun begins!
Proxima falls.
Kakata falls, yielding...
...the only tech the Bulrathi have managed to acquire ssince our previouss Gunsslinger's term. Of coursse, by thiss report actually officially arrived...
...we'd taken Exis too.
Oh, yess, and Imra, with itss 8 (yipeeee) factories,
jusst fell, with the lasst ssurviving batallion of Sakkra troopers planting our flag over the bodies of our enemies! Of course, there was a ssecond wave of transsportss already on the way, sso it would jusst have fallen nexst year anyway if we losst the battle....
And now for
ssome reason, Emperor Krungo wants to ssee me! I actually break out laughing when I ssee his face on the holo-sscreen.
He wantss peace, but thinkss he can dictate the terms: That the empire that is handily sslaughtering his entire military will break a valuable alliance sso as to disscusss a meaninglesss peace deal with his urssine loonies. When I finish laughing, I tell Krungo to go away. Faaaaaaaaaaar away.
That'ss four worlds conquered within three years of my taking office. If I can keep up thiss pace (and good luck, with those lasst two worlds in the corner of the galaxsy, but even sso...) I may yet eliminate the bears by the end of my ssecond term in office! At any rate, I'm scertainly going to try!