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The buildup

Throughout the Sluken empire the various shipyards are actively employed building the new fleet. As funds become available they are immediately invested back into the insectoid war machine.

The reptilians have already a strong presence in the northern rim where they have control over the rare and valuable Loros Fruit. And they have taken their first foothold on the western frontier sending a small group of the feline Zenox to inhabit a continental moon in the Trandusha System.



Sluken military is mainly centred around the home systems in the south east with only light forces on the frontier. All three Sluken attack fleets are located on the far eastern rim after the war with the Securans.



The only ship on the frontier is an old Imperia IV model destroyer from the long-gone Kaidian wars.



Through sheer good luck, the destroyer still carries its contingent of Sluken Terminator troops in stasis. While the ship itself would be no match for any Mortalen vessel the contingent of soldiers should be able to defeat the felines in the Trandusha System and re-secure the frontier.

The spice mining operation on Korabbia takes a leap forward with the construction of a powerful new spaceport. In future, ships can be built here to protect the valuable frontier.



Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy...

The capital ships of Fleet 2 are in transit to the Vilabre System to protect the refitting of the transports of Fleet 3 on Vilabre 1. This is to counter any move from the Mortalen 2nd Fleet finishing their refuelling in the nearby Teekan systems.

The first of the refitted ships is completed and troops reload onto the improved transports.



Once the capital ships move away from Kurrubah a disgruntled Securan destroyer captain decides to finish off what they attempted at the start of the war and destroy the Kurrubah 2 mining station.



A frigate on escort duties is given new orders to intercept the wayward Securan.



The skirmish doesn't last long and the Securan destroyer is defeated over the gas giant and mining station he was intent on attacking.



Before long the first of the Judgement class cruisers leave space-dock from the Kaidian Research Facility on the swamp moon of YX999.



Its range can now take the fight into the galactic core (cruiser selected at the base of the map and white arc shows its range reaching the Dila Supremacy systems).



The months roll by and before long Korabbian Spice has finally reached the Sluken home world of Ulabrea 7.



And back on the frontier, that lone antiquated destroyer and its single contingent of attack troops closes in on the Mortalen planet.



Taking it easily.



The frontier has finally been cleansed of all reptilian presence!

Battle at Yaga

While the Sluken refitting and construction of the new fleets continues with the new design cruisers being commissioned from Korabbia in the west to the home systems in the east, at the Teekan Dandalas System the fully fuelled Mortalen 2nd Fleet silently and ominously slips anchor. Their new target - to intercept and destroy the weaker Sluken 1st Fleet refuelling at the Yaga System.

We are about to witness the first major engagement of the five-year old war against the Mortalens!



The Sluken capital fleet of its four most powerful ships is protecting the refitting taking place at Vilabre, but it has not had time to refuel. Both Sluken attack fleets will be needed to face the Mortalens. The order is given. "Move back to Yaga and refuel before the reptiles arrive!" (Image below shows the Sluken 2nd Fleet low on fuel moving from Vilabre to Yaga.)



The capital ships arrive and immediately head to refuel at the small spaceport on the desert moon, AC833, where the targeted 1st Fleet awaits the coming battle.



The refuelling operation is complete before the first of the Mortalen ships enters the system.



The 1st Fleet is also primed and fuelled for the reptilians.



The reptilians leave hyperspace, fully surrounding the combined Sluken fleets at the desert moon AC833.



The thirteen Sluken ships take on the sixteen Mortalen. But the massive fire-power of the two Sluken battleships places the odds with the insectoids.

The first frantic attack wave is met with much confusion and heavy weapon fire from all quarters.



Reptilian orders are intercepted. All Mortalen ships in range are ordered to attack the largest of the Sluken capital ships, the battleship Crushing Action.



The initial attack vector of the Mortalen fleet has left their ships strung out across the battlefield. A collection of Sluken destroyers and frigates combine in the space above the desert moon while the two Sluken battleships take the main battle westward. After the initial attack the Slukens are all still intact but the sixteen original Mortalen ships now number ten.



The superior fire-power of the battleships rips through the shielding of the reptilians like a hot knife through butter. But the Mortalen continue their futile efforts.



By now, most of the action has moved away from the moon.



Ship after reptilian ship is chased down by the battleships are destroyed. The Sluken destroyers mopping up the debris left behind from the battleships.



The last Mortalen destroyer is blown apart leaving just two empty troop transports from the original fleet of sixteen.



These are quickly chased down...



... and obliterated!



The battle of Yaga is over. Not a single Mortalen ship from their proud battle fleet remains. And thanks to the overwhelming fire-power of the Sluken battleships who arrived to save the day, not a single insectoid ship was damaged.



A resounding victory!

Final plans

At the Sluken High Command, a top level bureaucrat flicks through a stack of reports and addresses the war council, "It would seem that the spice has had a dramatic effect on the empire. For the first time the strategic value of our colonies surpasses that of the reptilians. Our planets now earn the same so can match their war-time spending on that front, but the good news is that our private sector has outstripped that of the Mortalen and we take much more in taxes."





A gruff general shakes his head, "But even after the battle of Yaga their military is still twice as powerful as ours. And the new ships are unlikely to have much energy left to fight in the core by the time they get there."

There is a collective snarl of agreement amongst the military personnel.

The gnarled old scientist once again raises his twisted hand and the large screen flickers to life. "The cruisers and troop transports were merely designed to get you to the core." After a short pause he looks at the screen. The shot is from space of the unmistakable insectoid ancestral home of Slukis 1. A massive ship slowly lumbers into the vision on the screen. Much bigger than any ship ever built - even by the ancients. It is the scale of a large spaceport but with banks of engines.

The scientist hisses, "This is the Majestic Anarchy! Get this to a gas giant in the core that holds both Caslon and Hydrogen and your fuel issues will be over."



The general assembly rise from their positions to look closer at the screen. Another of the general staff says, "Troops are in stasis on many of the transports. Cruisers are leaving space-dock on a monthly basis. Now with this leviathan surely it is time to take the war to the core worlds."

A black-clad intelligence officer nods, "The time is indeed right - for a number of reasons. It is common knowledge that the core worlds are amongst the richest and most developed planets in the galaxy."



He continues, "In fact, the Mortalens control six of the top ten colonies. These will be your prime targets."



"The Uttithan worlds are rich ..."



"... but well defended. You would need all our available troops to take this system - and even then victory would not be assured. This is a collection point for Mortalen war ships."



"Two of the Dila System worlds are amongst the richest in the galaxy but this system has no fuel reserves ..."



"... but the planets are lightly defended and we estimate that if we can land troops on the ground we will still have reserves for other operations. This system must be the main objective!"



"The Ikkuro System has a strong garrison and would take three or four transports to conquer."



"The Mortaj System could be captured with three transports but this is another collection point for Mortalen destroyers and frigates."



"The Dimuphun System can be taken with two transports."



"In summary, the rich Dila System, containing the important home world of the Mortalens, must be the prime objective. Capture this System and their resolve will crumble. We estimate it will take five transports to achieve this. The Dimuphun System can also be considered a relatively safe target to capture. The other worlds may prove too costly in terms of troops."

The intelligence officer strolls before the assembly, "Which brings us to logistics. Fuel to be specific. Our original attack plans were drafter six years ago and the Romulus System was selected as the bridge-head for refuelling the ships."



"It was close to the rich Dila System but recently this has been reinforced and other planets colonised. We will lose some troops taking this system and the Mortalen mining operations would need to be destroyed before we can secure the resources. If we have no fuel when we arrive our fleets will not be able to easily secure this system. A lot has changed in six years!"

Another pause while the logistic situation is absorbed by the High Command. The intelligence officer continues, "This is why we have chosen another system to secure first." He points to the map, "Here. The Mortalu system."



"It contains a single desert world with minimal defences. One transport can easily take this."



"And both Caslon and Hydrogen are available on one of the un-mined gas giants." With that, the intelligence officer takes his seat again.

The gruff general rises, "One transport to secure the bridge-head. Five to secure the reptilian home world. Our transport fleet called 1st Wave has seven fully stocked transports!"



His voice gets louder, "Behind this we have another fleet of three transports nearly ready called 2nd Wave."



"Five of the new cruisers are ready for action to establish the initial beach-head."



He thumps a fist into the air and shouts, "Launch the fleets. The invasion of the core commences as of now!"

Outstanding, can't wait for the next installment.

well he may struggle if he wants to upgrade... save games...
 
Excellent effort. Very impressed with how you manage to keep on top of borders. I might try a ring galaxy just so I can make sense of where I start and finish.

ORIGINAL: aprezto

well he may struggle if he wants to upgrade... save games...

Excellent effort. Very impressed with how you manage to keep on top of borders. I might try a ring galaxy just so I can make sense of where I start and finish.

I must admit, when I saw the release was delayed I was actually relieved. [:D] I really like the ring galaxies with low numbers of planets because distance starts to play an important role.

Trade wars

Korabbian Spice saved the Sluken empire! It is rarely stated aloud but without the flow of spice back through the chain of ports and colonies the development of the empire would have waned. Without the profits from spice the empire would not have been able to afford the new fleets preparing to leave for the Mortalen core worlds. Not that any credit was given to the department responsible, the Sluken Ministry of Trade and Resources. But the ministers in this secretive and sly enclave are comfortable to remain in the shadows, pulling strings where they need to be pulled.

With the upgrade of the Korabbian Spaceport, the ministry moved their headquarters there. The reason given was to be close to the important trade routes. But the reality was to operate outside the gaze of the Sluken High Command. First they controlled just the trade. Then they regulated the frontier worlds. After that they successfully argued that the fleet of exploration ships should fall under their jurisdiction - after all, they are exploring the frontier. This allowed them to become an autonomous force working behind the scenes of the western reaches of the galaxy.

So while the small rodent Teekan slave miners worked the hot surface of the desert moon, the ministers plotted in their comfortable halls, safely in orbit in the latest model spaceport of the Sluken empire.

They secretly commissioned two of the new cruiser designs and when the other fleets were called for service, these two ships did not join the others. Protecting the spice flow is too important.

But spice isn't the only unique commodity with the ability to shape empires. In the northern rim of the galaxy the Mortalen reptiles have colonised a world where Loros Fruit grows.



The distance between the rim and the core has kept this farming operation low-key but with other Mortalen colonies growing in the portion of the rim it won't be long before their empire receives an important boost in development. Unfortunately this is too far away to control so at some point in the near future the Mortalens will receive a massive boost to their planetary value.

Closer to the frontier on the volcanic planet Paakri 1, located in the western void of the galaxy mid way between the core and the rim, rare Zentabia Fluid was found to collect in magma pools. Luckily Paakri 2 was colonisable so the ministry designated this planet for priority colonisation. The plan was that once a colony was established the fluid could be collected at its sister planet.

However, as the Slukens colonised Paakri 2, the Mortalens had just finished constructing their own mining operation on Paakri 1. They had control of the Zentabia Fluid!



If the Mortalens controlled two of these rare resources (Loros Fruit and Zentabia Fluid) they would regain their previous galactic domination.

With one of the secretly constructed cruisers kept back at Korabbia to protect the spice trade, the other cruiser is dispatched to the Paakri System to destroy the reptilian mining operation.



Some weeks pass and then a monumental discovery is made. Deep in the northern rim, just to the west of the Mortalen planets and their Loros Fruit plant in the Udus System, a lone exploration ships stumbles across a debris field in the Urd Wylan System.



And that is not the only news. A number of the ships are fully operational.



The minsters above Korabbia quickly confer. The ships, by right, should be handed over to the Sluken High Command for use in the war. Collectively they are the most powerful fleet yet seen in the galaxy. And the remaining debris should be catalogued and reserved to resurrect as many of these ancient ships as possible. That would be the honest and open decision.

But on the other hand, the fleet could be used to stop the trade of Loros Fruit at the nearby world of Udus 5.

The order is given, "Destroy the remaining derelicts so no-one knows of this discovery ..."



"... then proceed to Udus 5 and blockade the trade of Loros Fruit.



Meanwhile, back in the Paakri System. Mortalen freighters flock to the volcanic planet to transport Zentabia Fluid to their empire.



But their plans are short-lived. The mighty cruiser, Red Mayhem, leaves hyperspace close to the mining operation ...



... and starts obliterating the freighters with their precious cargo of Zentabia Fluid.



The reptiles send what reinforcements they can. But it is not enough.



Before long, the reptilian mining site is under attack while a Sluken Constructor waits to establish their own presence in the system.



And so, one way or another, the three most important resources in the known galaxy are under Sluken control.

Galactic core

After weeks of travel, the various Sluken fleets head toward the Mortalen core worlds - lacking fuel reserves the overriding problem.



The first of the cruisers closely followed by the supply ship pass systems and planets on their trajectory toward Mortalu 7, the gas giant that will become the launch pad for the Sluken invasion.



The cruiser, Judgement, is the first to arrive with barely any fuel reserves.



The resupply ship, Majestic Anarchy moves to deploy and establish the forward base on Mortalu 7.



Still in transit, the 1st Wave fleet of transports is also extremely low on fuel.



With the resupply ship in the final stages of deployment it would appear the initial critical stage is drawing to a close. An attack by the enemy while fuel reserves are so low could have spelt disaster.



As each fleet arrives in the system they are given orders to refuel at Mortalu 7.



And so, as the fleets begin refuelling, the last Sluken fleet approaches the system.



Too late, the reptilians dispatch a lone destroyer to investigate.



The enemy destroyer doesn't survive for long.



More worrying though is a Mortalen troop transport looking to reinforce Mortalu 1.



Now we will need two transports for this phase of the operation instead of the planned one. The Slukens had one of the seven transports held in reserve so it will need to be committed now.

The two Sluken transports follow the same trajectory as the Mortalen transport. Sporadic defensive batteries pepper the invading transports with laser fire.



But what's this? Instead of dropping troops as reinforcements, the Mortalens extract the remaining troops from the surface onto their lone transport.



Mortalu 1 is defenceless and falls before the attack fleet can leave planetary orbit.



The planetary defences are quickly turned on the now full Mortalen transport and blow it and its cargo of troops to dust.



The foothold in the core has been established!

Reptilian homeworlds

With the beachhead in the core established, all the ships refuelled, and the troops dropped on Mortalu 1 reloaded onto their transports, the invasion of the reptilian world can commence. In the first phase of the attack on the Dila System only the seven transports are dispatched.



They arrive and form ready for their specific missions. One will attack the weak desert world. Two each will attack the two main planets. And the final two transports will form a strategic reserve. (The ships circled in pink are the Sluken transports.)



Dila 3 has no orbital defences and weak ground troops.



The Mortalen capital, Dila 2, doesn't have a spaceport but is surrounded by four defence bases. Unfortunately the two transports have lost cohesion during hyper-travel and the distant transport has some work to do just to line up its attack vector. The closer transport is already committed and will face the full force of the defence bases on its own.



The risk here is that each transport will be destroyed piecemeal before they can reach the planet.

But there is no great concern as the transport drops its cargo of insectoid troops on the Mortalen capital. The surprise is that many troops have also been extracted from this planet leaving only a skeleton force to protect the halls of government. The second transport will no longer be needed so is ordered into reserve out of the range of the reptilian lasers and missiles. The successful empty transport is given orders to escape.



Dila 1, the other important planet in the system, still has four troops on the surface and more being called up. This will require the two transports allocated in the original plan. As it happens, these transports executed their approach perfectly and are in close support of each other so should draw fire away from each other as they approach. This planet has a large spaceport and a single defence base. A destroyer has recently been constructed and is also still in orbit.



Both transports land their troops but the combined defensive fire-power whittles away the shields of both transports.



Neither ship can escape the range of the weaponry and explode trying to make their escape. First the lead transport...



... then the following transport.



Meanwhile, Dila 3, the desert planet falls quickly.



And before long the Mortalen capital, Dila 2, is conquered with not a single Sluken troop destroyed.



The ground battles rage on the surface of Dila 1 and the remaining five transports are extracted to the safe bridgehead in the Mortalu System. They have performed as designed and reached their target planets under extreme fire. The losses of two transports is more than acceptable give the troops were all landed.

The battleships of the 2nd Fleet are now sent in to clean up the various Mortalen mining operations in the Dila System.



Unexpectedly, the four troops defending Dila 1 hold on for weeks. Two of the Sluken troops are destroyed, but so too half the Mortalens. In a battle of attrition the insectoids will be victorious.



The 2nd Fleet arrives and begins by eradicating the mining station on Dila 5. At this stage there is little the Mortalens can hope to accomplish.



Eventually Dila 1 falls ...



... and the Mortalen homeworlds are integrated into the Sluken empire.

The golden age

After over six hard years of war against the then undisputed dominators of the galaxy, the Sluken insectoids greet the coming of a new dawn where they are the race striking fear and submission onto all others.

The surgical strike into the galactic core to rip the heart out of the Mortalen reptiles has been wildly successful with only four Sluken troops lost.

And now with their strong economy and even stronger military, they stand alone as the master race.



A dire warning echoes across the galaxy, "Fear and tremble. Here cometh the age of the insects!"

The End and thank you for reading.

I suppose I should summarise by saying that this ended up being much more of an epic than I had originally intended. I was actually just hoping to build a few transports and launch a 'Pearl Harbour' on the Mortalens. By the time time they declared war I was committed and as it turned out there were many isolated themes that helped the story along. I guess that is the inner beauty of this game. It is something new and exciting at every corner.

There was little point continuing past this point as it was not going to be a challenge in any way. Hope you enjoyed it.

There were a few minor issues or balance suggestions that arose during this game so I thought I might as well list them here. I haven't installed version 1.0.5.6 yet so some may have been addressed there.

As has been noted already, the Securan troops were left in orbit while their worlds were invaded. This also happened with the Mortalens.

The Devastation Moon Project simply disappeared after it was about half built. At one time I went to check its progress and the next time just the construction ships were grouped together. I had ultimately sent three different constructors at different times to work on the project. I'm wondering if this is the same issue as when sometimes for remote colonies they have trouble building space ports.

The Mortalen 1st Fleet had their attack orders set for the whole game where they were going to attack Kantreem 2. Their numerous troops would have easily taken this system in hind-sight. Basically it looks like they had over 20 troops out of the game because of this.

During the refit, one of the transports with 5 troops drifted away...



It couldn't be repaired or moved because it thought it was a legitimate ship but the size should have been 330 rather than 219.

On the balance or suggestion side...

The capital ships are too powerful too early. It would be good if they were somehow weakened based on the difference between its components and your knowledge of those components. May then also be more incentive to scrap them for research rather than use them. It was good to see that the AI had a couple of these ships but they didn't use them effectively.

Would be good to see an indicator of shield strength in the fleet ship summary. Perhaps a blue line next to the green energy line.

Would be helpful for planning missions to be able to see the number of troops in the summary screens being carried on ships and at colonies.

Another useful indicator would be to display the fuel type used for a ship. Perhaps over the fuel level like what gets displayed for the lack of hyper-drive in the speed indicator. It took me quite a while to discover the method of finding the fuel type.

Most of my planetary attacks during the game were to try and secure powerful starbases by sending in kamikaze transports. I like the idea of being able to capture the starports but what about making it that you must destroy any defence bases in orbit before you can attack the planet. This would give the AI better protection from these sort of attacks.

When a constructor, base or colony is given a construction order it would be good to be able to see a summary of the required resources along side the current resources. During the game when I was trying to secure the Zentabia Fluid I sent a constructor to build the mining base. It turned around and headed off. It took quite a while to work out it was 3 units short of Argon and had to travel back to another colony to get it. Perhaps even a status report with the ships mission saying something like "Build mining station at planet Paakri 1. Need 3 Argon.".