Update 2: One of these nights, in between the dark and the light
The calculus of power in circum-Errai space had shifted drastically with the arrival of the Akresian transport the previous year. Before, the secretive 'Al and the contemplative Ik had been content to live in harmony; the 'Al not threatened by the peaceful Ik, and the Ik bemused at the utterly silent and non-active 'Al. The introduction of a martial, aggressive and strongly anti-baseline race, even if with an as yet limited presence produced portents of war and violence in the councils of the Ik and the Oracular Matrices of the 'Al. Both of the factions stirred to action, though to rather different ends. The Ik constructed a mine on the archipelagic world of Errai V, something they had previously put off as damaging to the biosphere and local communities, but now necessary to fuel the production of defensive material. They also trained their first ground army planetside, as the nucleus of a proper military force. They also developed their expertise with information processing thanks to their Academy. And finally, perhaps as prelude to a happy co-existence, the Ik sent some of their considerable food excess to the Akresians, who were unhappy at the charity but glad to maintain a higher active population. The Ik also faced minor domestic problems as a steady growth in population lead to overcrowding in the small but desirable orbital habitat[1] and more and more people had to take up dwelling in the steamy slug-filled swamps below. The 'Al on the other hand seem less keen on peaceful solutions, and although little changes on the surface of their habitats and hives, the inner communication flow throngs with talk of beams and bombs. Moving quickly to cement their position in the outer system, they also established and populated a base on the outer moon of the glowering Jovian planet Errai VIII, for despite the radiation flux from its primary that worlds combination of metals and frozen fluids makes it a prize second only to the verdant orb of Errai V within the system. Perhaps concurring with the 'Al's estimation of value, or perhaps slinking closer to a source of prey, the Akresians singled out VIIIb as the place to restart their culture. The 'Al colonists chattered in fear as the long profile of the Akresian colony ship moved into orbit, but the Akresians confined themselves to the northern hemisphere...for the moment. The Lone Wolf constructed a basic base for the Akresians, then the offloaded colonists rapidly expanded the base and farming facilities outwards using all the stored equipment on their ship[2]. However the new city has barely the facilities to contain half the Akresian population, and the rest had to remain in stasis aboard the Lone Wolf. Even more worryingly the plants in the farms are being frazzled somewhat by the radiation form the Jovian, and only produce enough food for half the awake population. Only the timely arrival of the Ik food ships prevented die-offs this year, and it took considerable effort by the Akresian Admiralty to prevent their citizens from feeding the Ik delivery crews themselves into the Protein Reclamators. The Akresians are going to have to expand further if they are to sate their...appetites.
The Lantians made up for last years inactivity with an explosion of development, with mines and habitation units mushrooming across the dusty plains of Gemstar I. Within the year they near double their industrial output, the abundance of rare atoms on their homeworld enabling industrial processes more efficient than any found in the other inhabited systems. Perhaps this flurry of action was spurred by their observations around the star Horn, as the potential lebensraum of nearby systems filled the Elders discussions.
The crucial argument in Esani politics was that between development and growth building mines would rapidly boost material output, but the space and debris would impede living conditions and quarters. The implications of these were considered against the precepts of social atomism that guided the Esani away from their root cultures, and eventually it was decided that providing each individual of the community with more goods would better fulfil their long term goals. The second mine and some population growth has significantly boosted Esani production, and securing the exotic resources of Heze system seemed more possible each day.
The whitewashed streets of Kaus II have rung with the sound of children for several years now, thanks to the large food surpluses and the strong natalist policies of the Bureau of Human Development, and in this year that population boom entered the workforce, increasing the population of all the Gardener worlds. All was not carefree in the oasises of the Gardeners however, as the Soulon intrusion into and exploitation of 'their' world of Kaus III seemed an unforgivable slight. Research into high energy states and their weaponization was accelerated, and as the Gardeners Orbital shipyards were finally welded into place the dreams of retribution coalesced around a particular design from the BuShip [3] drawing boards, possibly due to be produced next year as the very first post-tumult warship the Hydra Tuft has seen. In interplanetary relations it has been the Gardeners who were the aggressive polity this year, as the Soulon league seemed to desire détente, not even blockaded Kaus III (as was within their power) to halt Gardener industrial bonuses. This olive branch[4] was ignored as the Gardeners nearly pushed the system to the brink of war, and only confusion on the part of Soulon commanders prevented the beginning of hostilities. The Gardeners had tripled their ground presence on Kaus III, and distributed their Planeteer regiments to every unoccupied region on that small planet. The Soulons had been ordered by the Shadow Lords commence a blockade if the Gardeners acted aggressively or shipped new troops to the world, but all these new Planeteers had been recruited locally, and there was little the Fighter squadron in orbit could do, and eventually stood down.
The Soulon league in contrast to the glowering Gardeners have been experiencing a novel era of hopefulness. As the farms on Kaus III were completed food could finally be shipped to the starving cities on the outer worlds (not before they saw some further population loss though), and there was dancing in the common areas of the buried habitats. Whilst many had questioned the oligarchic rule of the Shadow Lords, the man-in-the-access-hall now had complete faith in their regime. Many flocked to Kaus III for work and security in the new farming units, and the Lords ordered the outfitting of a further division there to keep order and guard against the Gardeners. Many now advocated the construction of a mine on Kaus III to extract the ice cap volatiles and boost food production in the outer system, but such a move to tap a biosphere would incense the orthodox among the Gardeners still further (despite their own regimes mines on the northern cap).
Meanwhile in the system of Zavi, the Kations were experiencing their own good times and growth after the solving of their food problem, and began to turn their efforts towards industrial growth and possible strategies to warm their chilly outer worlds. The synergy between the metals from the inner system being brought in for processing with the gases of Zavi VIb's frozen ocean lead to marked productivity gains. The population increase has brought them to the limit of what their farms and even the size of their habitats could offer (due to the individual Kations demand for space and technological resources). Their bold statement of dominion over the rocky worlds between their Gas Giant and the orbit of Zavi II continued to go unchallenged, and they began to take a more relaxed stance towards the sleeping industrial giant of the Vazan. Attempts to sample the datasphere of the main Vazan city were unsuccessful, for the two factions are roughly matched in data engineering development, and GAIAs anti-virals we more than sufficient to drive off their probes. Speaking of GAIA, the overseer continued to degrade without its regularly scheduled updates, and the drones took more and more control over their own lives. Some rallied around their technological deity in her ailing years and spoke of cultural continuity whilst others urged violent change and revolution. The latter were generally exiled to the smaller of the two Vazan cities by the Temporary Board created by the traditionalists, who also instituted a general increase in the ranks of a military police that had been all but unnecessary under the shared dream of the previous decade.
With their energy reserves exhausted, the Lantian and Ik interstellar probes both return to their respective home systems. Though their lack of IP drive means they only lurk on the gravitational rim, supply shuttles from their planet spaceports means they are ready to voyage to distant stars next year.
Karmically Blessed
Most Gods shine on the fruitful and the kindly, and the Ik have been both this turn: +1 lucky roll.
First submitted ship design, the Gardeners: +1 lucky roll.
Random Disasters
None
Random Statistics
Greatest Industrial Power: The 46 e produced by the Vazan
Most population growth: The Gardeners, increasing their workforce by a whole 20%
Nicest Place to Live in the Hydra Tuft: The Ik orbiting habitat.
Most widely scatter polity: The 'Al
Number of Kations in the calender 'Hunks of the Reprocessing Plant' that are actually hunky: 5/12
Notes
[1] I missed this last turn but that space hab is at its max population, it needs to be expanded if further population growth there is to occur. Also Kentharu, I made a mistake in the stats that gave you far more e last turn than you should have, luckily your spending was still under the actual correct amount!
[2] Seon, you made a mistake in your e calculations, and the reason I bumped your starting e up to 31 was it was the only way you could do this in one turn.
[3] Bureau of Shipyards, Ship Construction, Precision Components Design, and Urban Beautification. The Gardener organisation charts resemble a bramble patch.
[4] This phrase remains in use despite the extinction of all olive species at the close of the second age a clutch of centuries ago.
[5]As you can see from the Gardener ship, submitted designs will not be revealed till their prototype cost has been paid. You don't have to pay a prototype cost all at once either, I will just adjust down the s in the ship stats.
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thanks.
