The first thing I noted was that Meklon was dangerously close to a nebula, if not in it. I hoped I wouldn't have to worry about defending a nebula homeworld from my neighbors.
Speaking of neighbors...
Psilons, Klackons, Humans AND Silicoids? And while Sakkra are ranked higher on the Sirian ladder, I consider the Alkari a bigger threat because I can't drive off their colony ships and brush war fleets as easily. So I have drawn what I consider to be the absolute worst set of neighbors.
Only one star in range, so I send my colony ship there. Thankfully, it is habitable. Scouts fan out and I get a picture of my surrounding neighborhood:
A few arid planets within range, but otherwise this is a pretty hostile neighborhood. Getting an empty star system next to the nebula means that I will need range 4 to spread further.A short while later, I open my planetology and propulsion trees. Planetology gives me a choice between Controlled Barren and Improved Eco. Since there are no barren planets around and my numerous factories will generate a lot of waste, I choose Improved Eco. Propulsion offers only range 5.
Range 5 takes painfully long to research alongside factory construction, but in 2330 Meklon hits 209 factories and range 5 pops. Between nuclear engines and inertial stablizer, I choose engines. Meklon switches over to colony ship construction while my second colony takes over research.
I grab the 5 arid worlds. Scouts explored habitable systems further south, but in order to grab them I'll need to either grab a tundra world, or to put extended fuel tanks on a colony ship. Unfortunately, when Improved Eco pops, my only new option is Terraforming +20. So I instead shift research towards Construction, where I choose IIT9 over RW80.
In 2358 contact is established with the Psilons. I take another look at the galaxy map, and ask my foreign ambassadors what my neighbors are like.
This has the potential for an early diplomatic defeat, but hopefully it won't come to that. I set up minimal trade treaties.
After nuclear engines pop, I design a laser fighter so I can defend the colonies I haven't planted a flag on yet. Medium, warp 2, manueverability 2, computer 1 and 2 lasers, with extended tanks. My southern colonies begin churning these out in hopes of defending the southern habitables.
Plague hits a Psilon colony. Thank god it wasn't me. A few short turns later, we're holding the first elections. The vote is evenly split between the birds and the brains.
Unfortunately, my laser ships are too late to get to the southern systems, and the Klackons, bringing overwhelming force, take them both. I redirect my laser ships to the tundra and radiated planets near the Klackon border in hopes of staking my own claims there. In the meantime, I'm in contact with the bugs now, who are erratic technologists and are actually keeping up with the Psilons on the tech graphs. Minimal trade treaties to keep them off my back for a while.
Terraforming +20 pops. Between Inferno, Enhanced Eco and Toxic, the obvious choice is Inferno. As 2374 rolls around, the Psilons are allied with the Klackons and Humans, and they have 8 systems. Scared of a diplomatic defeat, I tried to commit "spectator wars" by asking the Klackons to declare. They didn't go for it. I take another look at the galaxy.
The votes are split between the birds and the brains.
All five of my planets have had time to max their economies. I put 1 missile base on each, then begin spying on both my neighbors. The Klackons were gonna turn on me anyways, and the Psilons had the most population and would be my election opponents if I ever got up there, so I figured there was no reason to be friendly. Probably a dumb move on my part. I managed to steal Improved Robotics Control 3 (it had been missing from my tree), Fusion Drive and Duralloy Armor before the brains declared war on me. Since relations had gotten better with the bugs and this wouldn't be a "spectator war" anymore, I dialed them up for help.
I also trade them ECM jammer 2 for ECM jammer 1, to bump up my computer tech level and pick apart the Psilon tree. Because I now have reason to keep them friendly, I shift all my spying over to the brains. I begin building missile bases on the planets I believe to be in danger. Their ships will come in *fast*, and I won't have much time to build defenses.
The tundra world I just grabbed is in danger, and there's a (slow) fleet coming in. I throw together this design:
Despite my excellent computer capabilities, I haven't seen any robotics controls or battle computers available. I'm hoping this design will be able to take out a Psilon large, as 7 of their mediums ran from 10 of my laser ships (with extended fuel tanks).
I manage to scan some of their fleets, and I find out why:
They're carrying Death Spores and Neutron Blasters on those mediums?!? And with those shields and high speed, combined with my lack of computers and decent missile technology, my missile bases are pitiful against them. Romulas bites it:
My missile bases are dealing so little damage to their ships, they're walking all over me. And this situation is quickly going from bad to worse:
Then my spies manage to grab Battle Computer 4 from the Psilons. Maybe that will give my bases a little more punch, but I'm not very hopeful at this point. They finish off Romulas with the death spores and plant their own flag there, but then, because they have multiple wars going on, they leave it unguarded:
Death spores leave the factories intact, which means that there are about 320 factories there. And only 5 population guarding it. That incoming stack of Psilon ships has a slow ship dragging them down. The opportunity was too good to miss. I send 20 troops to take it, and I succeed with 4 survivors, looting the following techs:
Decent breaks with the shields, factories and bombs. Not so good getting the Terraforming and only 4 out of 6 techs. I clearly can't hold the planet, so I try and evacute my citizens, while keeping some missile boats there in hopes that they'll shoot down any invading forces (and prevent the Psilons from stealing my technologies as well). They have other plans and instead use more biological weapons against the colony.
Content with what they have taken from me, they decide it is time to end the war.
I accidently click reject, and they offer 1800 bc for peace. I take it. I've lost this round. They leave the planet unguarded again, and with the sorry state it is in thanks to the death spores, I can't resist another invasion. I pull in the following techs:
The only useless tech there is the shields. Freaking sweet deal! The weapons tree opens up, and the only missile tech available is the merc missiles. I'm making a beeline for those. To make things better, spies penetrate the Klackon empire and I grab Improved Space Scanner, revealing that I still can't research any battle computers or robotics controls for the life of me.
The fuel cells bring the Silicoids into contact. I sign up trade treaties and a non-aggression pact with them. With the ground combat that I've been doing, some tech in that area would be helpful, so I trade them IIT6 for Battle Suit technology.
War with the Psilons will be difficult, but I'm hoping to do fine. However, rather than try and take their planet back, they're going straight for the head of the beast.
My missile bases are still running Hyper-Vs and will be almost useless in this battle, but with Neutron Blasters, some defending ships would stand a very good chance at driving them off. I start building some.
Here they come!
I dislike breaking RBO rules, but I need all the help I can get. I keep my HyperV boats in the back firing at their death spore ships (making them fall back) while I rush my other ships forward to attack. The huge doesn't pack a lot of fire power, but with Automated Repair it is nearly impossible to destroy. I tear through their death spore ships and their colony ship (which was carrying two anti-matter bombs) without any casualties before I turn on their stack of 82 which is carrying Neutron Blasters. They take out some of my own neutron blaster ships before they retreat, and they're forced to retreat as their own ships just cannot damage my bases or huge.
Meklon is saved! The Psilons are repelled! This may very well be the turning point.
To be continued...
