The Iiiiz Have It

[dominican]

[font="times new roman"]A History of the Iiiiz – Part 14[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Iiiiz engineers took advantage of Avian scientific research in 2845 when they produced the first Type-2 Spacedock, at Ursa I, soon followed by another at Sol I. Research began in the same year on Phasor Beams, a new type of attack weapon to replace the aged Advanced Laser Beam. Phasor beams relied upon a newly-discovered type of energy, anti-matter, and would be the first in a long line of anti-matter starship enhancements. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]The Robots offered up a peace settlement in 2849, to settle the centuries-long dispute between them and the Iiiiz, and the Iiiiz thought long and hard about whether to forgive the Robots for their unprovoked extermination of their second colonized world, Antilae III, those many years ago. Some leaders vehemently opposed any agreement with the evil Robots, while others said it was time to let bygones be bygones. Cooler heads prevailed, primarily because the Robots shared the same philosophy as the Iiiiz, Big Endian, and on 2849.02, a Peace Agreement between the two warring races was signed and ratified, beginning a long series of diplomatic overtures between the two civilizations, consisting of gifts, technological trades, the signing of a Non-Aggression Pact several months later near the end of 2849, and an Alliance four years hence in 2853. Trust levels on that date increased to 79-81%.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]In 2855.03, the Iiiiz were finally prepared to begin the long assault campaign against their lizardly antagonists, the Minervans, who had so wantonly disregarded Iiiiz right to life eleven years earlier at Lyncis III. Research scientists promised a new attack weapon in just a few more years, but military leaders could wait no longer to invoke their justice upon the frogs. Setting out for the cross-galaxy rendezvous at Grus II, the Minervan home world, were the corvette Stingray, the gunship Sabre, and the scouts Boa, Lion and Aphid. All packed beams except for the Aphid, which had several missiles and standoffs left from its Avian days. For the Sabre, this would be a homecoming of sorts, since it was she that had discovered Grus II in 2411, now over 440 years in the past. Since then, the Sabre had become a deadly warship, increased in size from scout to gunship with the aid of a mysterious alien artifact, and now with nineteen kills to its credit, including ten enemy freighters and nine starships. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]The attack upon Grus II in 2856 was almost an anticlimax, a foregone conclusion. The Minervans only had one operational ship with which to oppose the Iiiiz invasion, the gunboat Kenya. Under construction, but far from operational, was the scout Scorpion. Still credited to the reptilians were two more warships but they were not present. Where and what were they, and could they arrive in time to save the day for the lizards, as had happened for the Iiiiz at Lyncis?  [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]After some accurate shooting back and forth, the Kenya met its Iiiiz demise at the hands of the Stingray, making the fourth kill for the only corvette in the fleet. Some moments later, streaking across the sky was our old friend, the Israel, which had participated in the attack upon Lyncis. The Israel had lost a row of wave weapons and a significant amount of atomic armor at Lyncis, but this was no time for repairs. It jumped into combat immediately upon getting its bearings, but was set upon by several Iiiiz starships and immobilized, its weapons and drive system becoming inoperative. But the Iiiiz wanted the ship for their own, to add to their fleet, after a certain surrender all but guaranteed in a few more minutes of fighting, and so the Israel was left to drift aimlessly around its home planet, twisting in the “wind”. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Imagine their surprise when next came the Minervan gunship Portugal, heavily damaged at Lyncis, listing and barely able to move with a drive functioning at 7% and a single computer and generator rated at 50% and 60% and no weapons. That was fine with the Iiiiz, for the Portugal and the ship under construction, the Scorpion, would be nice additions to the Iiiiz fleet and future contributors to the Iiiiz cause. The necessary attack upon Grus II itself was carried out methodically, a single ship taking on each of the four Grus cities, to minimize Grus defensive responses.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]When Grus’s population dropped below 50 out of an original 200, the Iiiiz licked their chops in anticipation of the expected surrender, with thoughts of three more warships and at least a dozen resource worlds to add to their inventories. The response came back in the negative!  Apparently, the reptiles still thought they had a fighting chance because of their three warships remaining. That their starships were totally incapable of further combat seemed to make no difference to the Minervans. Reluctantly, the Portugal was destroyed.  Surely this would make the Minervan diplomats see the error of their ways and come to their senses, with only two worthless ships left, but nope, still no deal, no surrender. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]The Israel was next in line and destroyed, but still the Minervans would not give up. They were nuts!  The shell of the Scorpion was destroyed, and now the Minervans must realize the futility of their situation, their home weapons having been rendered useless through over-heating. The Minervans would not surrender! It was amazing, but true, they had no chance of forestalling the inevitable, and still they would not give up. Again reluctantly, the extermination of the Minervans resumed, and each request for surrender was denied. Finally, only four toads remained on Grus II. Did these have any sense? No. They too remained defiant to the end, an end which came at 2857.12. The Minervan civilization was no more, a void in the southwest corner of the galaxy. They had been given every chance to join the Iiiiz empire, and they chose death over such a life. It just didn’t make sense. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]The Iiiiz returned to Ursa I empty-handed, no new starships, no new technologies, no new resource worlds. It was a hollow victory. There was no celebrating in the Iiiiz empire. A worthy adversary had chosen death, as if that was a better thing than life as an Iiiiz citizen. What did they think they were, martyrs?[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]How would the Zotls and Argonians and Sirens react to news of the Minervan end, and how would they choose when their turns surely came to make such a choice, somewhere out there in the distant future?[/font]

[dominican]

[font="times new roman"]A History of the Iiiiz – Part 15[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]With the Minervan threat to the galaxy removed, emphasis shifted to diplomatic efforts to further improve the Iiiiz relationship with Robot. In 2857 a technology trade was made between the two races, with the Iiiiz receiving $600 for the blueprints to their Level-4 Colony ship design. The Iiiiz now had 87% trust in Robot and they 90% trust in Iiiiz. A year later a similar trade was made, the Iiiiz again receiving $600 for the design to Defensive Plasma Bolts. These trades had very little risk for the Iiiiz, in that if a federation came about one day, it would be no loss for the Iiiiz and an immediate $1200 gain to their bank account. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]In 2858, the Iiiiz governing body began deliberations on agreement for a Federation Law with Robot. These discussions were expected to last several years. The situation with the Siren civilization also began to be discussed in several committees. The Zotls and Argonians were located in the southern part of the galaxy, far from the Siren in the northwest, but they were all three of the same Little Endian philosophy. Zotl and Argonian were far advanced above Siren in technology, but Siren had a large bankroll still remaining from their $5000 anonymous gift. The Iiiiz feared combined attacks from advanced warships in one direction and many less-advanced warships from another direction. If Siren could be removed as a threat, this would allow the Iiiiz to concentrate on the southern galaxy quadrant. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]A gradual ship upgrade for Anti-Matter components began throughout the fleet with the completion of Phasor Beam research in 2863 and the beginning of Power Armor research. Iiiiz spys continued to operate, stealing Defensive Death Rays from the Sirens in 2869, an important defensive component which were then added to several Iiiiz starships. Proton Shotgun designs were stolen from the Zotls in 2877. The scout ship Lion, added to the fleet when the Iiiiz became federated with the Keracks, was upgraded to gunboat class in 2881 when a special ancient artifact was discovered. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Several diplomatic offers were made to Robot in the 2880s and 2890s, bringing trust to record heights in the mid 90s. Power Armor research was completed in 2890 and research begun on Sub-Space Computer designs. With anti-matter armor and attack weapons, the Iiiiz were finally prepared to remove Siren offensive potential from the galaxy, especially after an unprovoked Siren attack upon one of Iiiiz resource worlds in 2896. Superior sensors alerted on-duty gunboats Lion and Freedom, and the Siren gunboat Walnut was the first enemy ship to feel the killing strike of new deadly Phasor beams. The Walnut carried ancient second-generation Hellfire Bolts and Atomic Death Rays. It was time to move against the Siren before they researched or traded for more capable attack weapons. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]But there would be further delays in the attack against the Sirens, which would not occur before Iiiiz attention was riveted elsewhere in the galaxy. It was decided that the Sirens could wait until further starship improvements. Subspace Computers were designed in 2908 and research was begun on Anti-Matter Generators. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Following the destruction of the Siren ship Walnut, the gunboat Freedom continued to seek out pirate and Siren freighters, destroying a freighter back in 2903. Inexplicably, unforeseen, unpredictably, the crew of the Freedom rebelled against the Iiiiz fleet command and joined the Zotls in 2913! This was an unprecedented event in fleet history. Never before had a crew so brazenly and disgracefully performed such a malicious deed, to give a starship to the enemy, to fight for a civilization at war with the Iiiiz, to become traitors, one and all. One day the traitorous gunboat Freedom would pay for its indiscretions. [/font]

[oi]

We can only hope that the sudden ominous silence from the Iiiiz does not mean that they have been overtaken by a disaster.
     Oi