SLYNES - Swirly Lights Yonder, a Never Ending Story

Superluminal

Wahano Sam settled down into his recess in the smooth interior of the spacecraft. The vessel was the Rhetho, and if its maiden voyage was to be a success, it would be the first superluminal vessel to ever be piloted by Hlethan beings. Sam looked around the interior of the vessel as the final system checks completed successfully. It was of an interesting fusion of forms- it had the curves and rounded surfaces characteristic of Sahlon construction, somewhat awkwardly fused with the strictly straight edges and tight angles of contemporary Hridani design. The Rhetho was 82 meters in length and 18 in width at its widest point, with a tetrad of cylindrical thrusters in the rear, just behind the main body of the craft. The vessel’s central region, housing the Hlethans, their supplies, and the command center, whose straight, metallic ribs extended from front to back, grew ever narrower until suddenly blooming into a round, convex shield at the front. Ahead of this shield, two long, razor-thin protrusions extended. Some distance away from the shield, they began to coil, before finally terminating in an elabourate array.

There were six Hletho in the vessel, 3 sets of twins, 2 of each gender. The Hletho did not tend towards superstition, but it remained a clean, auspicious number nonetheless.

Sam felt the restraints closing him into his recess, comfortably securing him in position. Though it was his instinct to struggle against the confinement, he was well-trained, and knew the value of being strapped in to a rapidly accelerating vessel. His command console descended down towards his face, and his 3 whiplike arms expertly passed over its surface, activating the necessary systems.

“Power cells are ready.” stated Lico Taesh, a small, feisty Hithethan birthgiver.

“Hull integrity full.” replied Lico Daeja, her sister.

“Engines online and at 2% Function.” declared Habeb Jahn, a heavyset defender.

“Sensory systems... broadcasting now.” Habeb Nahla widened her jaws in the rough equivalent of a grin, as sudden images of the starry space around them suddenly sprung into view within the command center.

“Trident Compation Apparatus online.” nodded Wahano Mo, Sam’s brother and the mission’s physics expert.”

“All systems are online. Begin charging Trident Module, full power to engines.”

Sam spared a moment to gaze at the view around him. Projected inside the small room was a view of the entirety of the Rhetho’s surroundings, compiled from a vast collection of mechanical eyes spread across the vessel’s surface. Thaej was a distant orange dot, the start Haedkhad a tiny blazing disc. While admiring the view, Sam redirected the remainder of his considerable mental capacity to going over the compaction coordinates one last time. He could sense his brother doing the same thing.

“Engines online and at 100% function.”

The compression grew greater and greater on the crew of the vessel, as for several minutes the Rhetho accelerated to terrific speeds. Finally, the announcement came.

“Trident Apparatus Ready. Permission to initialize compaction event.”

“Granted.”

At the very front of the vessel, space stretched and warped horrifically. The crew felt a terrible sensation- it was beyond nauseating, it felt like twisting, wrenching, stretching and crushing death. The sisters Lico both shuddered violently, but the others steeled themselves, knowing that the sensation was just that- a sensation. Uncrewed probes had predicted events like this, and the crew was mercifully prepared.

As the event went on, Sam strained to see space apparently stretching around him, stars extending into infinitely long lines. Then, suddenly, they snapped back like a released elastic, the local region of space collapsing into a tremendously compacted tube.

As the travel continued, Sam became dulled to the sensation- or perhaps there was simply less to feel now that the event had stabilized. Time lost some meaning when it had no relevance to the outside universe, but it was just under ten minutes into the event when Mo’s voice spoke again, breaking the long silence.

“Approaching coordinates, preparing to conclude compaction event.”

With a furious jolt, the same horrid sensation sank into the crew once again. Sam writhed slightly- only Jahn and Nahla managed to fully maintain their composures. The craft rattled, and a sepulchrally deep groan slowly morphed in pitch to a rending, high-pitched scream. Equally quickly, the event collapsed, and the vessel jolted once again as the crew felt a mighty force of deceleration pulling at their bodies. Jahn worked aggressively at her controls, before announcing the return of engine power. The comforting hum of the great thrusters behind them was comforting to the frazzled group.

“Energy and Engineering, Report!”

“Power cells... sensors inconsistent, last reading shows 79% charge.”

“Hull integrity mildly compromised, deploying external repair drones. Central structure stressed, but rapidly recovering and intact.”

Sam looked around. Each crewmember was actively engaged in their respective duties. He looked at the ship’s updated schematics projected before him. The compaction event had put tremendous stresses on the ship’s frame, but it had been carefully designed for such things. There were, however, numerous lesions in the vessel’s skin- apparently, the material was too delicate or brittle to properly seal a large, superluminal vessel. As he went over the ship’s systems, Sam looked at the viewscreens around him. He had only traveled a few tens of lightyears away from Haedkhad, but the stars in this region were already unrecognizeable, and the nearest star was clearly visible. A collection of planets were known to rotate around it, and this vessel would be the first to see it.

“Deploy the exploratory probes, and set course for orbit at a safe distance around the star. We’ll make our necessary repairs there, and begin recharging.”

“New coordinates input. We’ll be in stellar orbit within the day.”

The lone Hletho ship accelerated off towards this never-before seen system. Their adventure was only beginning.

OOC: Great stories, guys! Keep it up!

Daftpanzer said:

Peeing into the brainwaves of the Satellian crew.

Click to expand...

Hahaha! Oh the hilarity that a typo can create...


IC:

Portmaster Vrun watched the alien ship descend, looking rugged and functional, with so very little to give it any kind of aesthetic aside from, perhaps, a vintage look. He was moderately unimpressed, expecting something grand and majestic. No matter, he thought, as surely there was money to be made. This was his first day on the job, and already he was the most highly regarded Trader of Alien Wares on the planet, which struck him as funny. He blew a puff of air from between his pressed orifice, making an almost flatulent sound, which represented many things among the Snud (amusement, or disappointment, or boredom, or fatigue, or hunger, or flatulence, just to name a few). This time, he was amused, and also a little hungry.

The ship roughly landed on the pad, his pad, and the crowd of gathered Snud bounced up and down on their three-legs with excitement. What a good show to wake up to! Few had quite grasped the gravity of this event, but Vrun was not among those few; he understood the meaning of the Waking Day, and knew it would be a day of celebration for years to come. He couldn't stop wondering about all the wealth he would make from these aliens. It was so exciting! Perhaps he would retire after today.

The alien thumped out of the landing craft, hulking and terrifying. Few animals on Sneed were this large, and most of those were dangerous. The crowd tensed, lowering their bodies slightly closer to the ground. The actions of the alien were slow, methodical, and to the Snud, quite nerve-wracking. What could be taking this alien so long? Wasn't it in a hurry to trade? Vrun was! He took a few nervous, awkward steps closer, his one-leg lifting his computing device into the air.

Lights flickered on the alien. The computer whirred and calculated. A message appeared on the screen. Vrun's top-front eyes focused, concentrated, interpreted the data. "Hello." Another burst of air, pppptt!, quick and to the point. The crowd stood tall, anxious to learn what was said. "They say hi," Vrun spoke in the sing-song voice of a true Snud, and the crowd puffed air as well, amused. Everyone was enjoying this, certainly.

It was impossible to determine what the alien was feeling or expressing. Its large face seemed like a strange, ancient statue of a godling, or some sort of mythical beast. Vrun found it attractive, all the same, which did not surprise him. He was a fan of art.

The tip of his one-leg tapped and tapped along the screen of the computer, which whirred and calculated dutifully. A large light display behind him, looming over the crowd in wait, flickered on. The lights formed a pattern, mimicking the "hello" they had just received. The image remained for a long, exhausting moment, and was then followed by a new pattern. "Welcome to Sneed. How was your trip?"

The crowd shivered with anticipation.

Here's a short beginner story, i've been busy with schoolwork and the other nes's trying to type one handed, but i'll have my orders and a continuation tomorrow.

I am very much looking forward to meeting you guys, and the Geskani. My race might be masters of diplomacy by then

Bil said:

Hahaha! Oh the hilarity that a typo can create...

Click to expand...

LOL!

Also, I just realised I sent orders a full week early. That's a first for me.

IC:

She was snapped out of her light meditative trance by the incoming signal flashes. There was a moment of embarrassment, mixed with alarm, mixed with concern, when she realised that her personal console had stopped functioning. She couldn't help but rotate her front end slightly from side to side, a sign of discomfort. Her two big-eyes were still securely folded away beneath their protective coverings of skin and environment membrane; her six small-eyes only gave her a vague hint of movement beyond the end of the landing pad. Her intercom buzzed a welcome buzz.

"I see your unit has a problem. Don't worry, we are interpreting from the lander..."

"Oh, good..."

She wondered if her low rumbling/murmuring voice was audible to the Snud. It seemed that most lifeforms had ears adapted to higher frequencies, even on Hmmaiaa itself.

"They say, 'welcome of Sneed, query moment your trip?' I think that's about right... We could run some other procedures on it..."

"I believe I understand. Can you operate the signal app from up there?"

"Sure thing"

"Our trip was delightful, yes? We are much humbled to visit their home system, and much amazed by the wondrous sights of their home planet?"

Although she was talking over an audio-only link, she was still making subtle gestures with her limbs, body stance, and mouthparts. She couldn't help it, it was one of those subconscious, animalistic things, hardwired into her neurons. She wondered if the Snud had noticed.... They had probably purged themselves of such inefficiencies millions of years ago.

"I concur... Yes? What's that? Ok, we all concur up here. Encoding now..."

In total, roughly thirty minutes passed between the last Snud message and the Satellian reply. The female standing out on the pad had lapsed back into a motionless meditative state by the time her signal array starting flashing away again. She was further startled by a message from her Landing-Captain.

"Murmmaia? I am coming out to join you. I will bring one of the boxes. I think the rocks we collected from that asteroid on the G2/11 flyby would be a fitting gift."

"Yes... They were very shiny..."

"More to the point, a symbol of our explorative spirit, and our intention to learn more about the cosmos...

"Ah! Yes..."

"We may be getting ahead of ourselves, but... Who knows how these things work..."

"Indeed..."

She decided to do it - she exhaled deeply, and extruded her big-eyes. A new world of visuals entered her consciousness. Immediately she had focused on a group of Snud figures infront of her. Some of them seemed to be jumping up and down. Either that, or she was delirious. They were... small... and, well, fast...

The Landing-Captain suddenly appeared next to her. Unlike her, he was fully naked, not that it would be necessarily obvious to an outside observer. Their environment membranes resembled their skin in many ways. He balanced a box of rock samples on his back, steadying it with one limb at a time.

"Hmm... The pressure is different... In-between anything I'm used to. The composition of the air is a little discomforting..."

"Seems alright to me..."

"I am a little dizzy... Hmm... Hah... I spend too much time on the ships these years..."

"Perhaps." She sounded an alternating series of low and high pitched sounds, an expression of humour. A moment to ease her mental pressures. "Let's continue, shall we, Landing-Captain?"

"Yes... We're as well qualified as any Satellians on this planet..."

The two Satellians slowly trundled up to the edge of the pad, walking tightly together. At one-third distance from the edge, they stopped, and the Landing-Captain lowered his transparent rock-laden box to the ground. Then they both took a few steps backwards, slowly, and repeated the bowing gesture in salutation, with slow and perfect synchronicity. As the crowd of Snud and various robotic things moved and jostled in front of them, against the backdrop of the alien light display, and the fantastic alien structures and plantlife beyond that... it was a real struggle to keep their consciousnesses from being completely overwhelmed. Puffing and popping sounds were heard, barely registering at the top of their audial ranges.

Meanwhile, their signal array had started flashing a new and much more convoluted message.

"Token offer we, gesture share-ness of mother comsos. Inquisitive intention. Wish to be delighted by your existence. Desire to learn of galactic civilization greatness."

The Cultures of Thaej



From the time of the great migration out of the old world - Hitheth and Hridan- Hletho culture becan to spread across Thaej around 700 000 years ago. Early migrants traveled through the modern lands of Hrolaton and Lehed. Some crossed the equatorial mountain ranges to form the earliest proto-Rhoan societies, others wandered into the northern wastes to one day become the wandering populations of Lhado. Many more ultimately settled in the rich lands of Sahlo. Many other minor migrations set up relatively small cultures, which have not survived the test of time, or merged into the cultures which we know today.

Rhoan travelers ultimately spread across the southern hemisphere, parenting the cultures of Jetha, Rheth and Pren- Rhoan relationships with Lhaoleb are somewhat confused- Lhaoleb itself is a confusing mixture of cultures, and very little is agreed upon by its population regarding its origins.

Developing together, the cultures of Jetha, Rheth and Pren ultimately became the first naval powers of the world, becoming economically dominant for a time roughly 50 000 years ago. This period brought about a degree of homogeneity to the world, but various wars of, in retrospect, little motivation gradually exhausted these nations, and they were ultimately overshadowed by the rising might of Sahlo, who came to exceed them as the great power of Thaej around 5000 years ago. Developing increasingly advanced technologies, Sahlon scientists developed the first memory machines and electronics, ultimately launching the drive towards modern space travel. It is with this coterie of cultures that Thaej now faces the universe, in preparation for a second ‘great migration’ out of its ancient homelands.

As you read this guide, it is very important to keep in mind that, with very limited and stated exceptions, none of these cultures are unified nations- they are groups sharing similar history, ethnicity, and diealects alone. Political order in Thaej has been dominated since time immemorial by byzantine collections of alliances within and between the clades, which are almost impossible to properly map out in a manner comprehensible to a species with worse memories or tolerances of complexity than the Hletho.

Hridan

One of the first lands expanded to from ancient Hitheth, Hridan has, over hundreds of thousands of years, developed a rich, yet minimalist society with a strong martial and religious tradition. Its lands are somewhat poor, but its people have grown strong and hardy from it. Hridan has a no-nonsense approach to most everything it does, and often grows frustrated at other, wealthier regions such as Sahlo.

Hridanis mentioned in my stories include Habeb Jahn, Engine Officer on the ‘Rhetho’, and Habeb Nahla, Communication and Electronics Officer on the ‘Rhetho’.

Hitheth

Hitheth is the ancient cradle of civilization, and has held Hletho populations for longer than anyone else. Today, the region exists in a seemingly perpetual state of mild depression, due to competition from richer, younger, and more populous areas. The Hithetho design aesthetic is concave, and a typical Hletho from this region is noted to be slightly smaller than average, with a tendency towards reddish-tinged legs.

Hithethos mentioned in my stories include Lico Chaeh, the Head Aeronautical Engineer of the ‘Hraef’ superluminal vessel, which is currently in a prototype stage, Lico Taesh, Systems Officer on the ‘Rhetho’, and Lico Daeja, Structural Officer on the ‘Rhetho’.

Hrolaton

Hrolaton is the borderlands of the world, between the wilds of the inland plains, the ancient lands of Hitheth, and the ‘new lands’ scattered around the waters of Thaej. Hrolaton as such is a rather turbulent region, with a particularly dangerous collection of alliances and agreements typically failing to maintain its stability.

Hrolatonos mentioned in my stories include Betho Nahir, who confronted Lico Chaeh for his delays in his ‘Hraef’ startraveler project.

Lehed

A low-lying region of pleasant climate and moderate population, Lehed is a secondary industrial region. Its history is rich and strongly influenced by many of its neighbours- indeed, Lehed is in many ways the crossroads of Thaej- the land between the ‘old world’ of Hrolaton, Hitheth and Hridan, the wild, open lands of Lhado and Rhoa, and the great civilization of Sahlo. As such, Lhado slowly developed into a great haven for merchants, developing an economically-focused, eclectic culture which lives to this day.

Sahlo

This rich, northern region is one of the most powerful, populous and prosperous regions on the planet. It is known for its smooth, convex aesthetic sense and rich violet forests. A heartland of industrial and technological development, this region’s advanced state contrasts with its raw natural beauty. Plants of tremendous size crowd the fertile, rolling hills of the region, with several rivers flowing down from the northern mountains carving majestic canyons through the growth. Peaking out of the growth are the many cities of the Hletho, constructed of Thaej’s alternatives for wood (treated to prevent decay) sculpted stone, and metal. Sahlon Clades form much of the high leadership of the Thaej Alliance, and perhaps no other region has put so much towards the advancement of the Hletho into outer space.

Sahlons mentioned in my stories are the rocket physicist Lhao Plath Phteno, and her sister, the fuel engineer Lhao Plath Getha.

Lhado

One of the two major nomadic cultures of Thaej, the Lhadons inhabit the northern hemisphere, wandering the vast, inland fields in their never-ending voyages. The Lhadons are often a spiritual and quiet folk, although stereotypes of violence and a lack of civilization are still unfairly applied to the Lhadons, and against nomads in general. It is true that the Lhadons often live relatively low-technology lifestyles by choice, but they frequently make use of Sahlon goods when it is useful to them. Lhadons have not raided their neighbours for thousands of years- such relationships were ultimately unprofitable- but the societal memory of the Hletho does not fade with time, and the Lhadons have not yet, in the eyes of many, undone the wrongs of their distant ancestors.

Rhoa

The major nomadic culture of Thaej’s southern hemisphere, the Rhoans are hard survivalists with a distinctive militaristic bent. Originally a raiding and scavenging culture, the Hletho of Rhoa brought terror to the traders of Lehed, often traveling far out of their home ranges to fight against their more settled brethren. In some cases, Rhoans eventually reached pleasantly survivable locations, where they ultimately settled, giving rise to the civilizations of Rheth, Jetha and Pren.

Rhoans, unlike their less materialistic Lhadon compatriots, have embraced technology. Raw utility reigns supreme, and while Rhoa is seldom at the cutting edge of development, they remain master mechanics, salvaging anything and everything they can, and fine-tuning it to perfection. Thus, while the products of Rhoan manufacture may appear to be crude and ramshackle, very few would question their effectiveness.

Rheth

A militarily strong culture in the global southeast, Rheth is notable for possessing one of the longest-standing and most stable political systems on Thaej, a feudal monarchy of sorts. Rhetho technology in the art of war is unmatched, a product of a long history of conflict with Rhoa, but in many other things they are sadly underdeveloped. A leading faction in the great conflicts that marked the end of the dominance of the southeast, and the rise of Sahlo, Rheth has, since its defeat, turned inwards on itself. Through slow coaxing, it has begun to re-emerge from its self-imposed isolation, a process which continues to this day.

Jetha

Of a much more pronounced individualist bent than Rhetho, the Jethans viewed themselves, possibly with justification, as the heart of civilization throughout the world. With great naval vessels and a keen economic instinct, the Jethans left their footprints all over Thaej. Exporting their culture, language and goods all across the sea, Jetha grew tremendously wealthy, and times were good. However, as Jetha grew accustomed to its enviable situation, it began to grow decadent, shifting its focuses away from the practical pursuits which had brought it greatness, to distractions and other strange things which might even be considered art. All of this came at the expense of the world dependent on Jetha, slowly building up the resentment that ultimately led to its defeat and collapse.

Today, Jetha is recovering, and a helpful proponent of the Thaej Alliance, but its culture is frequently stuck in the past, yearning for a golden age which is unlikely to ever come again.

Pren

Pren is a longtime rival of Jetha, and alongside their northern rivals were the second main colonial power during their zenith of power. While Jetha developed the alien concept of ‘aristry’, Pren took advantage of its position to explore ‘philosophy’. While many Hletho have or have had various minor belief systems to cap off any unpleasant ‘mental holes’ in their minds- for example, the great birthmother who created everything- but only the Prenians sought out and explored those things which went unquestioned, bringing about a radical new dogma which were enforced and taught to frequently unwilling populations.

With their defeat in the last war, the driving forces of this religious and philosophical movement largely died out, though many Hletho believe that the bizarre thoughts crafted by the Prenians several thousand years prior have yet to entirely clear out of the minds of the land’s present population.

Bres

A culturally unique region, Bresians are regarded as odd by most other Hletho. They are colourful and expressive, and exhibit a strong individualist streak not often found in their compatriots. Some could describe them as a ‘laid back’ culture, although this would mostly be simple, unfair stereotyping- Bresian contributions to Hletho culture has simply been diluted across the many fields in which it specializes.

Bresians mentioned in my stories include Wahano Sam, Commander of the ‘Rhetho’, and Wahano Mo, Compaction Physicist of the ‘Rhetho’.

Lhaoleb

Something of an enigma, Lhaoleb is an isolated culture, with little interaction with any of its neighbours. Very few diplomatic or historical ties exist between Lhaoleb and the outside, and its little-known population seems content to leave things at that.

Portmaster Vrun was confused. It took a while for the Alien Communications Bureau to get back to him on the translation. In the meantime, he shuffled on his three-legs, almost dancing, to pass the time. The others in the crowd were performing similar actions, though some continued to hop up and down, and a few others still had decided they were bored and would go find out what was on TV, if anything. The broadcasting corporation had probably not quite gotten any new programming online yet, so it was likely to be re-runs.

Another Snud approached, this one being the descendant of an Awake family, having previously lived his entire life caring for the Sleepers. "Portmaster, may I have a moment?"

Vrun turned his back-top-eyes toward the youngling, blinking a few times to signal acknowledgment. The youngster continued, "We have completed several studies of their vessels. It would appear that many are damaged, though it does not seem to be a result of violent action. I think they have been traveling for a very, very long time."

Vrun shifted his body to face the young one and spoke, "Perhaps we should invite them to stay a while, and maybe fix their ships. They seem nice enough, though a little on the large side. We should be able to find something edible for them, right? I hope they eat rocks or something strange like that, it would be very exciting. What are the ratings on the broadcast?"

The young one, Tim, looked at the screen he carried and reported, "Last report says that 62% of the population is watching. It's dropped by a few points in the past few kruns [OOC: a measure of time equal to roughly 4.32 minutes], but that's probably because everyone is being called into work."

Vrun shuffled and bounced, keeping his three-legs on the ground and quivering his body a bit. "I'm going to ask them to stay. They only have a box for us, but maybe they have some more on their other ships. I think we could probably figure out some good trades."

"Just remember that the stocks aren't what they were when you entered the Sleep. Consult your pad before you make any trades," Tim said with authority, putting Vrun in a sour mood. Kids these days. Tim walked off and Vrun returned his full attention to the Satellians.

He read his pad, seeing a new message to give to the aliens. He punched it into the light-box.

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE

STAY A WHILE AND LISTEN

WE HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS

OUR VALUABLES ARE MANY

WE LIKE YOU GUYS

By the way, the deadline passed about 17 hours ago, but I still haven't gotten a chance to start working on the update yet today. I'll be able to get on it later on tonight, so I'll still be accepting last-minute orders/stories for the next couple of hours.

I want to remind everyone that if any of you have suggestions for ways to improve this NES, feel free to post them for discussion, or even PM me so we can talk about it in more detail. I'd love to make this more enjoyable for everyone involved

What sort of orders do you need outside of our stories? At any rate, here are mine.

Hletho
ECONOMY: 3e (+1.5e/turn)
TECHNOLOGY: 2
STABILITY: 6
FLEETS: 1 (-0.5e/turn)
MILITARY: 1 (-0.5e/turn)

Orders
Build 3 Fleets (Actually just Single Vessels) in the Shipyards of Thaej. These vessels are the Tharae, Hraef and Zoroth.
Send our Fleet (Actually just a Single Vessel) Rhetho from I,E to I,D.

Notes: At the moment, our 'fleets' are single, multipurpose vessels. Also, I think the idea of 'order stories' which are not shared with the rest of the game to be a little counterproductive. At any rate, I'll be writing all of my stories here, and PM you these orders if necessary (I know how it's helpful to have everything in one place).

Those are exactly the sort of orders I need

I prefer stories to be posted here, because that's the fun part. The orders really just give me a very brief, generic guideline with which I can direct the update. I want to continue to stress the point that the stories are what is really important in this game. The only reason you have stats is so that your species is moderated in some degree, and people aren't just spamming out stories (even if they're really well-written) about how wonderful their civilization is and how powerful it is and such.

I used to play on role-playing forums that were, in essence, shared and continually evolving stories. In principle, it's fantastic; in practice, it's very difficult to keep people from hitting infinite loops in battles (one that I participated in was a fairly climactic fleet battle for the fate of the Earth, which took about a year to complete, and that was only because all sides involved kept coming up with new and fantastic ways for how they were winning, eventually becoming a lengthy series of "no, I'm winning now" followed by another player saying "no, I'm winning now" and so forth). In order to utterly prevent this, everything is handled with simple numbers and die rolls.

As I said, I really do prefer that you guys are writing stories about what your space-folks are doing, I just need to use stats to stay impartial and keep people from getting out of hand. Unfortunately, everyone started pretty spaced out from each other, so it's taking longer than I had expected to have player-to-player interaction. Soon, though, I hope to see this turning around. You building three more "fleets" is going to help you achieve that fairly quickly, I'm certain of it.

Also, would you like me to make a coloured picture of the top down views of my ships to use on the map, in the style of those you've already made? I've got little black and white profile drawings of all of my ships so far, but could quickly turn them into little colourful items for your use.

Sure, if you want to Any customization is always welcome.

Amoeba
ECONOMY: 0e (+0/turn)
TECHNOLOGY: 0
STABILITY: 10
FLEETS: 0 (1 from my story written post update)
MILITARY: 0

The One will begin a very slow voyage towards B,C, seeing as it can only travel at sub-luminal speeds. Once there it will explore any new worlds it finds and, if necessary, strip them for refuelling and repairs.

The two Gardener colonies back on the Homeworld will slowly begin to rebuild life after the War, using advanced genetics and biotech to literally remake all the lifeforms that were known to the amoeba. They will begin by synthesising bacteria and other single-celled organisms capable of surviving the highly acidic and harsh conditions of the devastated planet. This will continue until conditions improve, as noted in a story or an update.

Pushing back the update some more. Don't hate me. I'll definitely try to get it done during the day tomorrow, and hopefully have it up tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I'm on EST, for reference.

Does the conversation we had count as orders? That's all I'm doing for like the next 5 turns. And I'm scaling up the size quite a lot. Once I get these next couple hell weeks behind me, I'll be much more active.

Yeah, our conversation works just fine for orders, no problem.

Strange things have been going on in the far parts of the galaxy. Amoebas awaken to a world of technology, and seemingly it tears them apart. A massive war unfolds across the slime-coated planet of no name, and life in general seems to be a casualty of it. What remains are a few surviving colonial growths of gardener amoebas who, seeking to permit their world's survival, set to work recreating life in the aftermath of chaos. Meanwhile, an entity known as One sets out in a massive piece of alien technology, much of which is not yet understood by the being, though it is rapidly incorporating more and more of the vessel into its existence. Departing the ruined homeworld on a voyage of curious exploration, One finds itself moving along at incredibly speeds toward nearby stars. As many months pass, it seems to be nearing the edge of its home system, bringing some form of psychological relief to the creature as it rids itself of its former prison for good. Suddenly, as it nears the termination shock of the nearby star's influence, new systems onboard the alien vessel emerge and activate. Before One can understand what is happening, it finds itself being hurtled into a, well, hmm, let's call it... er... a hole. On the other side, after a voyage of indecipherable amounts of time (likely only a few seconds, though one can never be sure with these things), One finds itself face-to-face with a strange and alien star. Something about it is familiar, something already known to the ship, though barely remembered. Six gas giants, some very near to the star and others very far, each dotted with countless little moons. Something so familiar, but also very new. There was only a little of value here, mostly water ice, silicate materials, hydrogen in abundence, and maybe a few other useful bits of material.

Elsewhere, the Bako Tellians settle their first extrasolar colony, bringing rallying celebrations to the home world. Unfortunately, the good times are cut short by an incoming hurricane that affects production as it slams into and drags across one of the Clusters. Despite this set-back, the people of Bako remain in a state of greater unity as the space program, once disregarded by the masses as a waste of resources, yields new breakthroughs for the Tellians as a people. Scientific progress marches forward as funds are channeled into the research labs, yielding vast new improvements to just about every field of science.

The Distopteran Hive presses on its dreams of moving the whole Hive into space, and every bit of spare resources and bug-power is dedicated to production on the great Hiveship. Unfortunately, a set-back arrives in the form of a substantial earthquake, crushing part of the underground hive, reducing future production and causing further disruptions in the Hive's stability as, with the deaths of associated Thinkers, many Knights and Workers go on brief but distracting rampages. This will likely serve as ever more reason to move the Hive off-world.

Meanwhile, on the off-shoot Nekopterus colony, the new micro-hive-collective expands its settlement and begins to find a few valuable resources to put toward colony support efforts. Unfortunately, the issues between the Thinkers have yet to be fully resolved, and what could possibly be described as political lines in the proverbial sand, are draw between several factions of like-minded mini-hives. While none desire war yet, the tensions have risen considerably.

The growing Geskani Empire seems to be taking the forefront in the galaxy, as far as expanse of settlement and exploration goes. A formal colony expedition is sent to sector H/B to establish the Benovo settlement, while the expeditionary fleet in sector F/B dismantles itself in order to provide the foundation for the Bactri colony. All appears well in the Geskani part of the galaxy, with new colonies springing up on a yearly basis, and vast fortunes being made by the homeworld to further the expansion of the Geskani race. As exploration into the depths of the galaxy continues, the sole remaining Geskani fleet stumbles across a system that, at first, appear unremarkable compared to the other worthless places that seem commonplace in this galaxy. As their sensors pick up evidence of long-lost civilization on every planetary body, as well as considerable amounts of space junk in orbit around each world, it becomes obvious that this is a ruined place. A slightly deeper investigation of what appears to be the primary planet of this system shows that it was once home to a technologically advanced (roughly equal to the current level of Geskani technology) civilization that appears to have tapped out every natural resource available in their home system, immediately following this with a system-wide thermonuclear war. Whether or not every member of this species is dead or if some managed to escape remains unclear. However, they do soon find out that they are not, in fact, alone in this system.

Hidden amongst the wreckage around the primary world, a dozen small vessels came to life, lights flickering on, engines flaring up, radio chatter spraying between them (all of which, of course, being indecipherable at the moment). One of the ships spontaneously explodes while the others assemble into a formation, seemingly a result of some kind of weaponry malfunction. The remaining eleven ships appear to be on an aggressive approach. Feeling better murderous than dead, the Fallen Geskani crew threw themselves into action, their ship weapons blazing out cataclysmic forces upon the attacks. The immediate barrage is, by luck, extremely successful in causing massive damage to four of the attacking ships, their reactor cores melting down into hellish micro-stars. The aggressors return fire, concentrating on one ship at a time, overwhelming the defenses of two Geskani vessels before the next Geskani barrage. Two more attacking ships succumb to their damages, though the enemy manages to land a missile in what might appear to be the most vulnerable place in the Geskani ship design, causing the vessel to violently explode. Unfortunately, this particular vessel had been in close formation with five other ships, each of which were crippled and scattered into high orbit by the massive release of energy and debris. Another counter-attack by the Geskani strips another pair of enemy vessels from the fight, and the attackers fail to make any significant impact on the few remaining Geskani ships. Two more drop, leaving one enemy ship to flee toward the out system, gathering all of its power toward some form of FTL system. One skilled shot from a Geskani weapon causes the whole thing to overload, leaving no enemy survivors, though few Geskani survived either.

What remains is, for the most part, a nearly worthless star system containing, for the most part, a lot of salvageable goods, and a lot of dead Geskani. It is a grim and dire note for what had, previously, been a largely successful Geskani expansion into the cosmos. The home world and associated colonies destabilize slightly as the populace recoils from the slight horror induced by the alien attack.

The Hletho finally begin their exploration program, sending a single ship, the Rhetho, to sector I/D-Right, passing by the myriad empty systems until, by luck, they find a system of great value. Three out-lying gas giants shield the inner system from comets and asteroids, leaving one small, barren world and two mid-sized rocky planets, teeming with life, relatively safe from the cosmos. The two habitable worlds share an orbital path and, in fact, are satellites of each other, spiraling along together around the bright yellow parent star. Conditions on these two planets are slightly rough, due to the strong tidal forces invoked by the two planets interacting with each other, and the day/night cycle is fairly odd, as one planet will often eclipse the other as the pair spiral around a common point of rotation. Strange and, of course, exotic forms of life roam freely on these two worlds, actually seeming to share a common ancestral life form in the far-off past. How this could be remains unknown. Meanwhile, on Thaej, ship production booms as the Hlethans prepare for a massive exploration of the universe. The populace rallies to the cause, bringing added production to Thaej, though public concern increases as a new mutation of an old virus breaks out in the rural areas. While it's mostly harmless at the moment, it spreads quickly enough to be of some concern.

The surface of Halvalla continues to be stained in blood and torn to bits as the warring factions press onward, the death toll now well into the tens of millions as attacks and counter-attacks cause the destruction of entire towns and countrysides. If the war continues like this, there will soon be nothing left of the Ivking civilization.

The Kant find themselves stagnating as a civilization, falling back into their habits of free-roaming and disinterest in each other. The two fleet-swarms remain where they are, doing very close to nothing as they drift about the star systems they currently inhabit, enjoying life in space. Stability and productivity have suffered, of course, as a result of this returning attitude.

The Kekeji, despite their previous surge of activity after the long and painstaking process of establishing their new home world, have fallen back into stagnation. The populace destabilizes as old and new factions alike begin to compete with each other for power on the new home world. A terrorist attack hits one of the primary communication facilities, cutting off the exploration fleet from contact until it can be repaired, though luckily there is little further violence and so the economy remains largely stable for the time being. The distant fleet stays put without orders, while the fleet at home sits idle, unsure of what to do as the command structure is beginning to become unclear.

The Lelinthians, having learned as much as they can from the captured Satellian vessel and its accompanying crew, and having deciphered the communications probe sent back by the fleeing Satellian fleet, decide to comply with the request of these aliens and return the captured crew and ship to their home. Having pushed their power generation technology to new levels thanks to what they discerned from the Satellian antimatter reactor core, the Lelinthian fleet is now able to produce enough power to generate large, stable wormholes for transit. Locking in the coordinates of the Satellian home world, they jumped and, what might have been a second, or a minute, or a year later, they couldn't tell, the fleet arrived in the outskirts of the Satellian home system. The captured ship, laden with its surviving crew and the remains of those having been killed in the name of science, was released adrift into the system. Meanwhile, a second fleet finishes assembly in orbit of the home world, prepared to press outward in the hopes that they might find potential threats first, before another one stumbles into their home system again.

The Nhroaat SsKraed further develop their industrial might while they bide their time to build their first colony in sector K/F.

Satellian-Snud relations improve as the language barrier slowly collapses and a trade agreement forms between the two species, the first in the modern age of galactic civilization. Meanwhile, the long-distance explorers finally return home after years of traveling the stars, arriving at Ulumm-Bukk for repairs and a retrofit. While technological progress is made, and improvements are delivered to the returned fleet, the big breakthroughs are still just out of reach. The crew of the long-range explorers, weary and disheartened that their mission was, for the most part, a failure compared to the accidental discovery of the Snud on the other side of Satellian space, take some much-needed shore leave.

The Seipas Yag government finally collapses as an ambitious fleet commander takes charge of his loyal crews, demanding the surrender of the ruling parties. Stubborn in the face of threats, the government holds fast and finds itself obliterated from orbit, along with the standing army on the ground. As riots crop up in the streets, factions forming among the populace, a new government takes shape that promises progress and real solutions to the problems the Seipas Yag have been facing for years. Propaganda spreads like the wind, and a new military order re-establishes peace in the streets, though the populace remains unruly under the surface. It will be a difficult time for this new government, which will have to fulfill its promises immediately, lest it find itself on the opposite end of the revolutionary spectrum than what it's experienced so far.

Finally, the Snud work closely with the Satellians, forming diplomatic relations and a trade agreement. Robotic craft load up on cargo, preparing to plot the long course to Hmmaiaa they will travel in the coming year. Technological improvements are made based on the study of Satellian equipment, bringing marginal advancements and a few handy new devices, though significant developments remain a long way off.

Any problems, let me know!

EDIT: Also, I might add, that it seems like a lot of people got some pretty bad luck on my economy/stability change rolls. At the very least, it should shake things up a little, and hopefully will be fun for you guys to incorporate into stories

I have turned the Seipas Yag into an NPC race. I'm thinking that 3 consecutive turns of inactivity will cause a civilization to become an NPC. It can be reclaimed by the creating player, or new players can petition me to take over the race.

Great update!

Things are hotting up...