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The Iiiiz Have It

 
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The Iiiiz Have It - 3/21/2008 8:18:42 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		Opening a new thread for my Starships Unlimited campaign, the unofficial history of the Iiiiz civilization.
Post #: 1
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/21/2008 9:35:17 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		Thus begins the saga of a simple civilization and its home planet, Sol I, located at the very top of an unusually-shaped cloud-type galaxy. Sol I is unfortunately located away from most other stars, with none other in any direction but south. The Iiiiz have named themselves thusly for their multiple sight antennas (also known as the ent in other galaxies). 

I chose nearly all the same options as oi in his history located in another thread, with the apparent exception of a slower-technological discovery rate and a lower pirate activity rate. So tech breakthroughs will come much less often, allowing for a much longer history, hopefully, as the other civs struggle to get their interstellar systems underway.

The Iiiiz begin their research with the Mining Facility and a 1% population devotion each to science and engineering. The starship scout Sabre is slowly outfitted with double Nuclear Generators, Rocket Drives, Electronic Computers and forward-firing Pack Rockets. The Sol star system only contains the home planet itself, Sol I, with no other rotating planets, and thus early on the Iiiiz must venture into the unknown, where no Iiii has gone before.

A second Electronic Computer comes online on Sol I's surface to increase awareness of nearby stars in 2202.03, and finally, 2209.09, the Sabre is ready for action with its full complement of Iiiizian-engineered components and a ship staff of 20, broken down into eight Scientists, seven Engineers, one Security and four Naval personnel.

Cygnus is two parsecs to the south of Sol, and the Sabre arrives there in 2211.10, to find a $5/year, 4/world star system. For the first time, Pack Rockets are fired in anger, and down go two Sunflower patches, a single Storm, and three Killer Satellites combined on the four worlds. The Sabre takes no damage in return, a remarkable feat for such an inexperienced crew (me), gaining 3% combat experience and 8% Wisdom. A Freighter is built back on Sol and is soon making its way toward Cygnus to set up shop.

The mighty crew of the scout Sabre, flush with victory and high-Iiiiz, then set their sights in 2215.00 on the next star system three parsecs to the south, Taurus, the bull. Taurus is also a $5/year system but with only two planets. Taurus II with two Storms is easily-dispatched, but not before suffering three swiftly-rotating "tornadoes" and a 6% drop in ship integrity. Taurus I has four Storms, but a now wary crew is able to knock these out without any further integrity decrease. A second Freighter is built to take advantage of Taurus's bountiful resources.

With a good supply of Pack Rockets yet remaining, the Sabre's captain decides to continue one parsec further south for a meeting with the Pyxidis star system, arriving there in 2222.04 to find a highly-valued $9/y star system and three planets. Two Plague Moss are destroyed on Pyxidis I, but on Pyxidis II, two Storms are able to inflict a 12% integrity loss and the deaths of two Engineers. The first two combat maneuvers are earned through diligent flight-path maneuvring. Three Killer Satellites are destroyed at the third planet without damage, combat experience rises to 16%, and a third Freighter is soon under construction back on distant Sol. As it turns out, this is the last Freighter that can reach any stars from Sol, so a decision will be necessary regarding enhanced Freighters or the construction of a Colony Ship, because Freighter income is crucial for a successful economy.

The captain of the starship Sabre decides to tempt his fate and seek yet another star, known as Metis to Iiiizian astronomers on Sol. This is the third $5/y star system, and the Sabre arrives there in 2227.11. A total of three Killer Satellites and three Plague Moss are encountered on Metis's four worlds, all without damage, gaining the Sabre crew a 20% experience level. At the same time these menaces are taken care of, the financial wizards back on Sol compute their budget balance as $2794 with a $10 annual deficit in net income. No Freighter is constructed to take advantage of Metis's resources, as it is too distant for the crude Freighters Iiiian engineers are able to build.

With several Pack Rockets yet remaining in the meagre Sabre arsenal, the ship's captain holds an officer's meeting and the overwhelming concensus is to fly to a fifth system in this first cruise of the good ship Sabre. Cetus is reached in 2234.06, a $6/y system with two planets. Plague Moss and Ram Fish are destroyed, and with a single Pack Rocket remaining, along with 28% combat rating, 78% ship integrity and 36% Wisdom, the Sabre heads for home and a joyous rendezvous with delirious Iiiizan family and friends in the year 2239.12, completing a nearly 30-year journey across the stars.

During the Sabre's journey home, the first scientific breakthrough finally occurs in 2237.06, the Mining Facility. Four Facilities are ordered up for Sol's four cities, and soon the Iiiizian economy is breaking even. The second project for Iiiiizian scientists is the Optical Computer.

Centauri is the first destination for the restocked Sabre, reached in 2246.09. Centauri II is the site of the bloodiest day for the Iiiizian spacefarers, the loss of four Iiiizian crew members and 67% ship integrity at the "hands" of three Defensive Drones. 29 Pack Rockets are launched during the capture of three Centauri worlds worth $4/y, a much quicker rate-of-fire than in the Sabre's first journey, but two new Maneuvers are earned during combat.

Girus is the next-encountered three-planet star system, worth $5/y, and when five Pack Rockets remain against three Ram Fish on the third planet, the Sabre's ship captain reluctantly bids adieu to Girus and turns for home for more Pack Rockets. The ship's 76% integrity plays a part in his decision as well, but some condolence is there in the realization of a 44% combat rating.

In 2260.11 the first Optical Computer comes off the assembly line, and investigation into Electromagnetic Drvies is begun. The Iiiizan economy's bottom line is finally rising, now at $2652, a $9 increasae per year. After much debate and serious soul-searching, the Iiiizians decide to begin construction of their first colony ship in 2266.00, which will colonize Pyxidis III, a small Type 3 planet valued at $6/year. Its location plays a big part in the decision, for it is within range of many stars and future fruitful resources.

In 2268.00, optical computers are placed into the now-famous Sabre, and it is ready to explore the next star system far to the south, the 9-parsec-distant Aquilae. As astronomers gaze at their star maps, they notice some peculiarly-colored star graphics. Could there be other Iiiizians out there?  Or someone, or something, else?

To be continued.

(in reply to dominican)
Post #: 2
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/23/2008 3:34:09 AM   
oi

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 5/26/2007
Status: offline 		Welcome to Dominican and the Iiiiz,
I will be following the adventures of the scout Sabre and its brave crew. The green team is planning to revolt against their conquerers, and as practice, have won some level 4 difficult pirate games. If your story is successful, perhaps the amphibians will once again take to space.
Oi

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Post #: 3
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/24/2008 5:27:13 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		Thanks for dropping in, oi. Your labor of love with the green team's history inspired me to try my hand in documenting the adventures of the multi-eyed beings I've lovingly named the Iiiiz.

Much has passed since the initial report above. Much. I'll write reports by century (there are now nearly four complete centuries of Iiiizian history) with more of a strategic assessment and less a tactical blow-by-blow, as there are a lot of stars out there, 150 by Iiiiz astronomer's count.

The Sabre's exploits are now legendary in Iiiizian lore, mythic tales of adventure and intrigue told to enraptured grandchildren on grandpa's six-legged laps.

< Message edited by dominican -- 3/24/2008 5:38:20 PM >

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Post #: 4
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/25/2008 6:51:35 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		The Iiiiz – Part 2
 
We continue with the history of the Iiiiz, the bug-eyed creatures from a galaxy far, far away.
 
In 2272 the Iiiiz in their Scout Sabre discovered the Aquilae star system, five parsecs to the south of the home planet, Sol I. When no planet defenders were located, no Defensive Drones or Killer Satellites, the ship’s captain became wary that another civilization had preceded them there, and all hands became lookouts for trouble.
 
That same year, the first colony ship was completed and launched amidst great fanfare, and more than a few shed tears, for relatives who most likely would never see each other again. Their destination: the Pyxidis system, five parsecs south of Sol I. An enhanced freighter could have been designed, but there were uncivilized star systems further south of Pyxidis, and the decision was made that more could be gained from a colony ship than a better freighter.
 
A year later an alien freighter with strange red colors was located on the star map, and the Iiiiz became certain that they were not alone. These red stars were not far Pyxidis, and in fact were some of the same stars the Iiiiz had hoped to mine for resources following colonization.
 
The second civilized world of the Iiiiz was founded in 2277.06, Pyxidis III, with an initial population of 50/150. Work began immediately on the construction of a Type-1 Spacedeck. The bank balance that month was $190 +6/y.
 
The Sabre continued its explorations of the great unknown, winding its way south and then southwest through the expanding galaxy, finding more unknown red stars in its pathway. Finally, another great day in the Iiiiz timeline occurred in 2284.09, first contact with an alien civilization, which called themselves Robot. It was determined that Robot actually had the same “philosophy” as the Iiiiz, one of peace and harmony with life, so it was assumed. Their homeworld was Raynet II.
 
Robot were a “people” of few intelligible words. Mechanical beings of some sort, more than people, actually. The Iiiiz, with friendliness as their nature, wished to improve relations with Robot, and star maps were soon exchanged. To the Iiiiz dismay, it was determined that Robot already had freighters running to nine stars, much more than their own two stars. The unfortunate location of Sol I to the extreme north now became even more apparent. Robot annual net income was nearly double that of the Iiiiz, $84 to $43. Clearly, the Iiiiz were an inferior race, in terms of progress, when compared to Robot.
 
Could Robot ever be our friends, or would we always be seen as second-class star trash?

< Message edited by dominican -- 3/25/2008 6:57:14 PM >

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Post #: 5
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/25/2008 9:34:26 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		History of the Iiiiz – Part 3
 
In 2293.02, Iiiiz scientists discovered their third breakthrough, Electromagnetic Drives, for their great flying machines, and Defensive Laser Beams became the fourth research target. As the Sabre continued to chart the stars, Iiiiz Wisdom rose to 72%.
 
Within a year, Iiiiz financial reserves peaked above $1,000 for the first time since payment for the Pyxidis colony ship expedition. As the new century dawned, relations with Robot continued to improve upon mutual agreement for a Non-Agression Pact, signed in 2302.02.
 
Pyxidis III’s Spacedock was completed in 2304.03, and the first freighter, assigned to the Cetus star system, was soon on the assembly blocks, while Scout Sabre was busy exploring stars within reach of Pyxidis’s future freighters.
 
Defensive Laser Beam final designs were completed in 2314.03 and Lightning Beam attack weapons research was soon underway. With an expanding budget, additional Iiiizian scientists fresh out of school were added to science staffs, now 5% of Sol I’s population.
 
Robot relations continued to rise with a 57% Trust level, and they liked us even more, at 63%. In 2317.02, Robot gave the Iiiiz a $500 financial gift, the first of several in the coming decades.
 
After a journey lasting nearly 45 years, during which no less than thirteen star systems were scanned, mostly void of planet defenders, the Sabre turned its headings for distant Sol I in 2318.12, arriving there in 2328.06, for installation of two brand-new Electromagnetic Drives, as well as two sparkling-new Lightning Beam weapons, but installation of these Beams would have to wait until research was complete in 2332.02. The Captain and his crew could hardly wait to test their new Iiiiz Sabre-components.
 
Pyxidis III’s Spacedeck continued to pump out freighters, eventually sending three on their way, for a total of five Iiiiz operational freight lines, but it soon became apparent that Robot freight worlds would put a pinch on Iiiiz ambitions, and the search began for yet a third world to inhabit with cute little Iiiiz children and their proud parents. Research was accordingly begun on a Type-2 Colony Ship, to one day reach for the stars, nine parsec-distant from Pyxidis, the Antilae system.
 
Finally, in 2335.08, the Scout Sabre, the Iiiiz’ only connection to the galaxy, lifted off Sol’s launching pads, to begin expedition number three with new and improved drives and beams in which to add to its fame and glory. 14-parsec distant Leoporis to the southwest was its initial goal. Iiiiz bank rolls stood at $1347 +13/y.
 
Four years later, in 2339.04, the Sabre encountered its second alien civilization, strange female beings calling themselves Siren. Just how many aliens were out there in the great unknown?, the Sabre’s captain and his crew continued to wonder. The Siren had a different “philosophy”, and were not very welcoming to the Sabre’s intrusion into their part of the galaxy. Their home world was Laporis II, with no technical specialists of any kind existing on the surface.
 
Immediately the Captain, with authorization from Sol, hailed the Siren and offered to exchange star maps, an offer which was accepted. Laporis had four freight lines to other world resources with a measly gross income of only $18. This was a civilization the Iiiiz could dominate when circumstances dictated, by friendly persuasion, of course.
 
The Sabre was soon on its way, and this third expedition would stretch on and on, eventually encompassing the discovery and survey of nearly thirty other star systems. Type-2 Colony Ship research was completed in 2350.12, and in the interim, scientists had discovered better methods of moving large numbers of Iiiiz from one planet to another, so work was immediately begun on a new Type-3 Colony Ship - Antilae was too far away even for a Type-2.
 
Sailing on and on and meeting occasional planet defenders, the Sabre reached a combat experience level of 50% in 2352.12, in the battle for Apodis, fully 25 parsecs southwest of Sol. Sabre’s complement of double Lightning Beams were wonderful weapons, their far tactical reach often precluding any combat damage, and the little that occurred could be easily repaired with the Sabre’s crew of six engineers.
 
It was to the far southwest that a third civilization became known, the Minervans, when their Scout ship was spotted streaking across the heavens during the Sabre’s scan of Klystrom. Instantly, the Sabre’s crack team of eight scientists were drawing information from their scanners. Minervan Scout Jordan with 62% integrity had obviously seen its share of combat. It had a crew of 20 unskilled workers, fore and aft plasma screens, an old electronic computer, an electro drive, and two defense waves. A strange craft.
 
Where was the Minervan home planet? Time would tell.

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Post #: 6
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/26/2008 8:27:13 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 4
 
The Minervans were finally encountered in the far southwest of the galaxy, in 2358.09. They were a curious amphibian-like race and their economy was running at a high efficiency with nearly a dozen resource-gathering routes, but they had a different philosophy than the Iiiiz, never a good sign.
 
The Sabre continued its explorations, finding many ancient artifacts left by a superior but vanished civilization, and came into contact again with the Minervan Scout Jordan at Vega, one of the Minervan resource worlds. The two scouts clashed and the Jordan limped home after being on the receiving end of several lightning beams. The Sabre’s combat experience rating rose to 72% on this day. Back on Sol, the budget rose above $3,000 for the first time in decades.
 
In 2364.02 another civilization was encountered, the Keracks. They were a friendly people with the same philosophy and about the same number of resource worlds linked by freighters as the Iiiiz, and thus was begun a relationship which would grow closer and closer over the years.
 
In 2372.00 while exploring the star system Virgo, the Sabre discovered a Scientific Genius artifact and immediately added it to its own scientific-discovery efforts, boosting the Sabre’s percentages of finding other artifacts on each world from 12% to 17%, nearly a one-in-six chance.
 
Now in the southeast portion of the galaxy, the Sabre came upon another civ, the Avians, a type of bird-like race, also with the same philosophy as the Iiiiz, in 2372.02. The southern part of the galaxy was turning out to be flush with alien life.
 
As the Sabre continued to explore, back on Sol I, scientists had completed designs both for the Colony Ship 3 Type and - in 2385.11 – the 4 Type. Construction was begun on Pyxidis III for the colony ship which would one day take Iiiizan settlers far to the west to Antilae III.
 
As another century passed, Laser Screen research was completed in 2401.09. The tenth technology, Advanced Lightning Beams, was begun with the aid of a special ancient artifact. The Sabre was now at its furthest point from Sol, 44 parsecs, while scanning Voluas.
 
In 2412.01, an astonishing and unforeseen event occurred – a scout ship from the Robot civilization rebelled against its home planet and joined the Iiiiz!  The scout ship went by the name of Hermes and had 37% combat experience, nearly half of the scout Sabre’s. It had a totally unskilled crew of 20, ceramic armor, an old Rocket drive, two forward nuclear missile launchers and two defensive missile launchers. Robot thought highly of the missile family and must have been furious when it found out of the defection. The Hermes was immediately ordered to Sol I to undergo upgrades and an examination of its missile components.
 
In one day the Iiiiz warship inventory was doubled. It was a good day.

(in reply to dominican)
Post #: 7
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/26/2008 11:38:48 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 5
 
With the completion of the Advanced Lightning Beam project in 2414.06, the Iiiiz embarked on a new venture, the creation of a spy network, beginning with Level 1 Spy research. Previously-unavailable data could be obtained on each known civilization, a great advantage in these increasingly-hostile times, and so “cloak-and-dagger” was added to the Iiiizian language.
 
The following month was another time of great rejoicing – Antilae III was founded, the third civilized world populated by Iiiizans!  Around the same time, the women of Siren hailed Sol for the first time, asking for us to join them in a Non-Aggression Pact. This became a common hailing which was also commonly denied. Long-range plans included the inclusion of the five Siren stars within the Iiiizan Federation, and breaking a Pact would do more harm than good throughout the galaxy.
 
Level 1 Spy research was concluded in 2426.03, and for the first time, the importance of securing the Iiiiz from external spying became apparent, and so Security was added to Iiiiz specialization at 1%. At the same time, Scientists were increased, now at 11%, or 22/200, and their next project became increasing the level of Freighters to Type-2.
 
Antilae III completed construction of a Type-1 Spacedock in 2440.10 and began producing Freighters for four-nearby star resource sites. Spying on other worlds got off to a slow start with failures in the first two meager attempts to obtain money, but at least information was coming in with the planting of undercover agents in each civ’s capital.
 
Both the Sabre and the Hermes were now scanning different parts of the galaxy and information and artifacts were streaming into Sol’s offices in record amounts. Gunboats were first designed in 2465.03 and Level 2 Spys became operative a decade later and Nuclear Mines about a decade after that. It was about this time that the Sabre discovered an Upsize Starship artifact, and with the design of new Gunboats, the Sabre finally turned for home to take advantage of these recent developments. Soon the new Gunboat Sabre was rolling off the assembly line!
 
The very first encounter with pirates occurred in 2495.08, breaking a nearly three-century period of non-combat between starships. The Hermes was victorious over a pirate Scout packing two forward nuclear missile mounts, but which retreated after one mount was destroyed and its quaint rocket drive seriously damaged by the superior fire of Hermes’ twin advanced lightning beams. Hermes gathered $42 worth of debris following combat.
 
Next up: entrance into the Fusion Age and the beginnings of a Federation.

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Post #: 8
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/28/2008 6:34:48 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 6
 
The Iiiiz civilization entered the Fusion Age in the beginning of their fourth century of space-faring. The construction of a Fusion Age Laboratory in 2505.07 enabled their scientists to embark upon a completely new set of inventions which would enable them to compete with and even outshine their interstellar adversaries.
 
Only five years later the scout ships Sabre and Hermes discovered yet two more alien civilizations, the Zotl and the Argonian, far to the south and southeast within their shared galaxy. Both civilizations were hostile to the Iiiiz philosophy of all-around goodness.
 
The 26th century was mostly one of exploration and discovery, both in space and in the laboratory, as all the star systems yielded information and artifacts which could only be learned and discovered by Fusion Age star-scanning and research. Each Age wipes the star system slate clean, giving each star an unscanned status once again. The good news is that new artifacts will be discovered with a diligent search of places known.
 
Iiiiz financial wizards and consultants were amazed when a $5,000 gift was received in 2581.01 from an anonymous donor! Iiiiz bank balances immediately jumped to $8,834, with an annual increase of $30 from expected sources at that time.
 
Relations with the Keracks were especially fruitful during this century, as the two civilizations grew closer in philosophy and culture. The two were nearly indistinguishable and inseparable, Iiiizians and Keracks visiting each other’s home planets while on vacation, learning each other’s languages and dialects, sharing a common currency, trading inventions, giving donations to each other’s needy causes. It was an idyllic time.
 
It was so idyllic that the two civilizations trusted one another implicitly, devotedly, until they trusted one another completely, 100%, to put it mathematically. The Iiiiz were the first to enact a Federation Law, with the Keracks not far behind. When the proposal to federate was put to the Kerack government and society, they immediately agreed to a Federation Law.  It was a given.
 
These two great civilizations were forever joined in interstellar matrimony in 2596.09, capping a century of togetherness. The Keracks graciously handed over their homeworlds and freighter routes, their scientific inventions, their starships, into the capable and graciously-accepting hands of the Iiiiz.
 
With the passing of a Federation Law, the Iiiiz gained two populated worlds, twelve freighter routes, two Scouts - the Boa and the Lion, two Gunboats – the Buffalo and the Armadillo, and five inventions not previously researched – Type-3 freighter, laboratory, ceramic armor, radiation wave, and defensive stand offs. It was an incredible and heady time. The sky was the limit. Nothing would stand in the way of the new Iiiiz Federation, their official new title. The galaxy would realize the futility of denying the greatness of the Iiiiz. Surely they would all soon acquiesce and deliver their civilizations into the rule and dominion of the Iiiiz.
 
But alas, it was not to last. The other civilizations did not take kindly to the new heavyweight in their midst. They could not appreciate what the Iiiiz could do for them. They were short-sighted, narrow-minded, not looking at the big picture. The dawning of the 27th century meant one thing throughout the galaxy: War!

< Message edited by dominican -- 3/28/2008 6:37:05 PM >

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Post #: 9
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/29/2008 7:18:32 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 7
 
The size of the Iiiiz civilization was doubled overnight with the addition of all the former Kerack’s two civilized worlds and dozen mining resource sites. Fleet operations were tripled with the addition of four Kerack starships, two Scouts and two Gunboats. They contained generally inferior components so that a complete overhaul and refit was the first order of business for Spacedocks at Sol I and Ursa I, the former Kerack capital world. The Keracks had colonized a second small world to reach additional resources, Lyncis III, and this was only slightly developed, without even a Spacedock to its name.
 
The Keracks had specialized in Wave weapons with a lesser emphasis on Standoffs, and after consultations with military personnel, it was agreed that these ships’ weapon components would be converted to Beams with which the Iiiiz were more familiar. The ships were additionally upgraded for Electromagnetic Drives from their former Rocket Drives.
 
The synthesis of the Kerack civilization into the Iiiiz was considered a grave matter throughout the galaxy. Fear that a similar fate would befall them as well, which the Iiiiz could only see as a good thing, led to diplomatic rumblings. For the previous four centuries there had always been short wars between individual civs which never lasted long before there was mutual agreement to end the bloodshed, but never had the civs united as a single force.  Until now.
 
Within a year of the formation of the Iiiiz Federation, war was declared by every alien civilization against it, an outcome completely unforeseen by the Iiiiz. With all four former Kerack warships in extensive maintenance and upgrade, only two Scouts, the heroic Sabre and the increasingly-useful Hermes, stood against the gathering storm.
 
Iiiiz astronomers could not believe their eyes when not soon after, in 2601, a force of four red scanner blips were racing toward the third colonized Iiiiz world of Antilae III. They were identified as coming from the Robot section of the galaxy. Robot, with the same philosophy as the Iiiiz, were approaching Iiiiz space with evil intentions.
 
There were 61 hard-working and innocent Iiiiz civilians on Antilae III, including females and children, descendants of the first colonists who had arrived on the planet 187 years before, in 2414. They had built laser screens and advanced lightning beams, but for the most part, had neglected military structures in order to build a spacedock and freighters to gather resources with which to enrich Iiiiz pocketbooks. Little did they know their time on Antilae III was about to come to an end.
 
Three Iiiiz diplomatic offers to end the conflict were frantically put before Robot and three times were disdainfully turned aside. Doing it their way, four Robot Scouts firing multiple Death Rays, unleashing a harmonic type of plasma energy, soon had the two cities on Antilae III in flames. Iiiiz worlds had never before been attacked, and defenses thought to be adequate proved to be much less so. Flimsy ceramic armor was no match for the onslaught, and it was not long before Antilae’s internal components were falling apart. There was no Iiiiz starship to aid in the defense, the Iiiiz fleet either in drydock or too far away to help. 61 Iiiiz died on Antilae III, their four resource sites on Leonis, Puppis, Lorri and Altair were in turmoil, and soon bright lights on all five planets winked out as electronic energy was extinguished. Antilae III was no more.
 
61 martyrs were gone, but not forgotten. They would always be remembered, and would become the inspiration for Iiiiz revenge. Because there would be revenge. Terrible revenge.

(in reply to dominican)
Post #: 10
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 3/31/2008 8:24:23 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 8
 
The Iiiiz licked their wounds following the destruction of their civilized world, Antilae III, and reviewed war plans while waiting for their scientists to design a new attack weapon, the Advanced Laser Beam. The crews of the Sabre and Hermes scout starships practiced maneuvers above Sol I and incorporated the capabilities of the enhanced laser beam into their tactical solutions, while the old Kerack starships continued to be refitted at Ursa I.
 
The new Beam weapon came online in the year 2617 and installation into the two scout ships and Kerack ships duly followed. The Robot civilization was determined to be too powerful to attack directly with its several warships, and so the Iiiiz strategy became one of hitting Robot where it hurt, in their economics, their resource freighters, stretched across eleven star systems. A policy of hit-and-run, slash-and-burn, search-and-destroy, became the name of the game.
 
Within six years, five Robot freighters were destroyed, reducing Robot’s annual net income to a deficit of -6. Iiiiz annual income at this time was +82. With the completion of Level-3 Spy research in 2628, the Iiiiz began taking advantage of lax security in other civilizations with the “procurement” of alien technologies. Type-4 Freighter blueprints were taken from Robot, while Disruptor Screens and Particle Screens were lifted from Siren laboratories.
 
A couple more Robot freighters were destroyed in the 2630s, and soon Robot’s bank balances had dropped below $500, 400, 300, so that eventually nothing was left in their accounts. Robot could not build more warships or freighters or improve their infrastructure or repair damaged starships. They were left to twist slowly in the wind, a once mighty civilization reduced to a few outlying resource sites, but not enough to bring them out of the red.
 
Robot still had five starships and a powerful home world, and so the Iiiiz respected them from a military standpoint, but Robot would be put on the back burner for the time being. There were other fish to fry in the galaxy. Robot was a disgrace to the Big Endian philosophy which the Iiiiz shared. Iiiiz government leaders debated whether to declare peace with Robot, a peace which Robot sought, and to increase trust between the two civs, but to do so would involve giving Robot large amounts of money, and Robot could not be trusted. Not yet. Not after what had happened on Antilae III. The warmakers had won the political debate against the peacemakers.
 
After the Defensive Missiles technology was taken by alert Spys in 2640, Iiiiz scientists had a big lead in the overall number of discovered/procured technologies with 34. Avian was second with 24, followed by Robot with 21, Zotl and Minervan with 16 each, Siren with 15 and Argonian with 14.
 
Robot finally retaliated against the Iiiiz supply lines, destroying their first Iiiiz freighter in 2642, and the first attack against an Iiiiz populated world occurred two years later, when a lone Argonian scout attacked Ursa I, while the gunboat Buffalo was on patrol. The scout had five atomic death rays in its arsenal, an impressive number, but the rays were three generations behind the Iiiiz advanced laser beams, and the scout was no match for the refitted Buffalo packing two beam weapons. The scout was destroyed before it was able to get the Buffalo even once in its sights.
 
The first multi-ship combat occurred in 2650 in the 1st Battle of Lyncis III, the second of the old Kerack populated worlds. The six-starship Iiiiz fleet was stretched thin having to protect four such worlds, but alert scanners notified military authorities that several alien blips were heading toward Lyncis within time to scramble two gunboats, the Buffalo and the Armadillo, both formerly Kerack, and now loaded with four advanced laser beams between them.
 
On came the enemy, as yet unknown, but gradually coming into range, they were identified as Argonian and Zotl. First into view high above and down range of Lyncis was the Argonian scout Gagarian, with four atomic death rays. Next, two Zotl gunboats, the Swallow and Gull, with eight proton shotguns, then an Argonian gunboat, the Franklin, with no less than six death rays, then another Zotl gunboat, the Owl, with five more shotguns. 60% of the Argonian/Zotl fleets were included in this one attack. Proton shotguns and atomic death rays were second generation weapons, while Iiiiz beam weapons were fifth generation. The Iiiiz might have been outnumbered but they were not outgunned. Lyncis III itself also had two beams to complement their starship brethren.
 
The scout Gagarian arrived first ahead of the slower gunboats, and both the Buffalo and Armadillo were able to work over and destroy it before help could arrive. Armadillo suffered heavy damage to one its two armor layers, reduced to 14%. Armor is one aspect of a starship which cannot be repaired by engineers, but must be rebuilt.
 
The strategy of the attackers soon became apparent – to destroy Lyncis III - and pay little heed to defending ships. The Armadillo and the Buffalo were able to maneuver their targets to within the long range of their beam weapons, and Zotls and Argonians began to take hits, hits they could not afford. When the Swallow’s armor fell to 26%, it backed off out of range, but not yet retreated, and the same with the Franklin when none of its armor remained. The Owl also backed off as its armor fell to 16% of original strength, but the Gull was not able to get away before being destroyed amid furious beam attacks from three directions. With the destruction of the Gull, the three remaining gunboats gave up and flew back to their home worlds. The great 1st Battle of Lyncis III had ended. The battered Armadillo and the Buffalo had both survived, and were rewarded with four combat maneuvers each.
 
The Iiiiz could fight after all, and they gained new respect throughout the galaxy. And this was only the beginning.

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Post #: 11
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/1/2008 2:11:22 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 9
 
The Iiiiz resumed its attacks on Robot freighters following the battle at Lyncis III, to bring Robot to its knees, its economy dropping to an annual -$37 deficit. Pirate warships, roaming the galaxy for the ruin of souls, began lying in wait for Iiiiz freighters in earnest in the latter half of the 27th century, and these offered new Iiiiz ships coming on line combat experience as well as money for the coffers by picking up component debris following pirate ship destruction. Generally, the pirates hung around to the end, while civilization warships usually tried to retreat after losing significant armor in combat.
 
Research on Active Armor was completed in 2672 and this was a big improvement over the previous less-effective Ceramic Armor, allowing starships to remain in battle for longer periods of time.
 
The gunboat Buffalo remained on station following the battle at Lyncis III, and had taken some armor damage with various pirates over the several decades since that battle, and was headed home to Sol for upgrading to Active Armor in 2679, when its captain decided to pick off one more pirate ship, but was overcome by superior fire power at Arctarus and became the first Iiiiz starship lost in combat. The Buffalo had destroyed one freighter and two starships during active duty, and technicians at Sol I’s spacedock waited in vain for the starship which would never return.
 
Wormhole research was completed the following year and several wormholes allowing almost instantaneous movement to a distant star were discovered in the following years.
 
The first Corvette to join the Iiiiz fleet was completed in 2686 but construction and installment of components would take several more years. The corvette’s name? – Stingray, of course. The corvette model was the next step up in size beyond the gunboat. Warp Drive research was completed in 2703 and this improvement was incorporated into the Stingray before it went online in 2713. The Stingray was able to take advantage of a special experience artifact, allowing its crew to attain 100% combat experience through secret knowledge. The Stingray was the first Iiiiz starship to pack three advanced laser beams. Another gunboat shell was added to the fleet five years later, the Merrimack, to come online after components were added several years after that.
 
These starships were put to good use attacking pirate starships and enemy freighters while the Iiiiz gradually rebuilt damaged ships in order to finally take the offensive instead of only reacting to enemy assaults. By the middle of the 28th century, the Sabre had destroyed nine freighters and the Boa and Stingray had taken out five.
 
Coming up: the 2nd Battle of Lyncis III.

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Post #: 12
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/2/2008 1:41:46 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 10
 
The Iiiiz were preparing to move into active mode instead of reactive, but just as the countdown for liftoff was beginning in 2768, sensors indicated another pending attack upon Iiiiz territory. This would become known forevermore as the 2nd Battle of Lyncis III.
 
As in the 1st Battle of Lyncis III in 2650, the Zotls and Argonians were teamed up once again here in 2768, to finish what they had begun 118 years before.  Attacking Lyncis III for the second time were the familiar Zotl gunboats Owl and Swallow, which had fought and retreated at the 1st Battle, along with two new warships, the gunboat Sparrow and the mighty destroyer Falcon, the first time anything larger than a corvette had been spotted in the galaxy. As if these weren’t enough, included in the assault force were three Argonian starships, the gunboat Franklin, which had also fought at Lyncis those many years before, accompanied by two new gunboats, Stanley and Ross.
 
Arrayed against this formidable force of seven enemy starships was a large portion of the entire Iiiiz fleet. Thanks to alert scanners, Iiiiz fleet command was able to assemble four starships for combat – the famous gunboat Sabre and three scouts - Hermes, Boa and Lion. The Argonians were still using the atomic death ray as their primary offensive weapon, but the Zotls had upgraded to a fourth-generation weapon, the particle gun, for their main attack. The Iiiiz, of course, continued to rely upon their dependable fifth-generation advanced laser beam. It seemed to be a nearly-even contest on paper.
 
Once again, the primary focus of the Zotl/Argonian attack was the civilized planet of Lyncis III. Blocking their way were the Iiiiz ships, and the first to explode following repeated laser beams was the Franklin, veteran of many Argonian skirmishes. The Sabre was given primary credit for the kill even though several Iiiiz ships found their target. The Zotls and Argonians began to have trouble maneuvering their ships close enough to Lyncis to do damage, possibly alarmed and startled by the Franklin's demise, and in the meantime, repeated laser beams by near-by Iiiiz ships continued to find their mark.
 
The Zotl gunship Swallow also found an early death, destroyed only minutes after the Franklin, this time credited to the Boa. Cheers were beginning to erupt throughout the Iiiiz fleet, only becoming louder when the Zotl Owl was cut down by the Lion. Reduced now to little more than half of its original fleet size, the Stanley retreated from the contest after taking heavy damage and all its armor gone. This left only the mighty destroyer Falcon in the assault, along with gunboats Sparrow and Ross. The Sabre, Lion and the planet’s laser beams all zeroed in on the big target, the Falcon, which was apparently captained by a rookie officer, because in the end the Falcon never fired any of its nine proton shotguns. It exploded in a fiery flash, years worth of money and construction effort going up in flames.
 
Still remaining were the Zotl gunship Sparrow and the Argonian gunship Ross. All four defending starships were able to maneuver to within range of the Sparrow and it was blown apart after defending itself admirably, leaving only the Ross, which also exploded following accurate fire from the Sabre, fittingly ending the battle.
 
It was a slaughter, a turkey shoot, with only armor losses among the victors. The Sabre’s first sheeting of armor was gone and the second reduced to 78%, the Boa’s second layer reduced to 51%, while the Lion and Hermes still had miniscule parts of their first armor layers left and complete second layers.
 
This was the second time Lyncis had been attacked by the Argonians and Zotls, and they would one day be made to pay for their transgressions. But now was a time for celebration, for Lyncis III had been saved once again, by brave Iiiiz warriors. Potent beverages flowed freely in the streets of Lyncis III and throughout the Iiiiz empire, at Sol I, Ursa I, and Pyxidis III.
 
The mighty Iiiiz starships had struck again.

< Message edited by dominican -- 4/2/2008 1:49:22 AM >

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Post #: 13
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/3/2008 2:04:02 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 11
 
Again the Iiiiz had reacted to their enemy’s moves, rather than acted first. Though their defense of Lyncis III was successful, it was time to bring the battle to the enemy, to fight on their enemy's turf, time for the enemy to suffer. While damaged armor was replaced with new Active Armor, pirates continued to be a menace, and they were sought out and destroyed where located.
 
The Avians shared the Big Endian philosophy with the Iiiiz, but they had never been very friendly; neither had ever held much trust for the other. There was something about them with their long beaks that turned Iiiiz stomachs. They were a lesser race somehow. They had taunted Iiiiz for centuries, making threatening gestures, flapping their wings, declaring war, but a phony war it was, never actually attacking the Iiiiz. For most of a century, Avian freighters had been vulnerable targets, and if the Avians thought so little of them as to not provide protection, then the Iiiiz were more than right to take advantage of the situation. Seven Avian freighters had met a fiery death without retaliation from the birds. They were a bird civilization alright, a chicken civ. It was time to take over the chickens, time to indoctrinate them into a real society. If that meant a little blood must be spilled, then so be it.
 
The Avians had colonized a second world centuries before, Reticuli II. There were 200 Avians living on Reticuli II, 200 chickens to be overcome, the maximum number possible on any civilized planet. Of course, it had to be destroyed entirely – no civilization would surrender if it had multiple civilized worlds, not until only the last world remained. The primary Avian weapons were in the Missile family, Fusion Missiles of the 4th generation, and so the Iiiiz must viciously attack through a barrage of missiles to reach the enemy, at least that had been the case with pirates who used missiles.
 
Included in the first multi-ship attack force in Iiiiz history was the corvette Stingray, the gunships Sabre, Armadillo and Merrimack, and the scout Boa, with no less than fourteen advanced laser beams between them. As the ships entered the Reticuli star system in 2787, only a lone Avian scout, the Termite, was there to greet them. The Termite turned out to be a pesky insect, continually sending out multiple missiles to confuse the beam control crews, who seemed more intent in destroying the missiles with their defensive missile systems than in locking onto the Termite itself. A tremendous number of missiles were also being fired from down below, on Reticuli’s surface, and after a period of time, the Armadillo forgot all about these missiles from down below while concentrating on the Termite, and started taking hits which knocked out its electrical systems.  It could no longer defend itself, like a fighter stuck in a corner with nowhere to escape. Precisely at 2787.10, the Armadillo suffered massive missile strikes and exploded in a fiery fireball.
 
With more determination than ever to avenge the loss of its veteran Kerack gunboat, the Iiiiz renewed the attack with vengeance in their eyes. Moments later, the pesky Termite was smashed, torn apart in sections, from accurate laser fire from the Stingray. The Boa and Sabre had suffered terrible damage to their armor and their captains were forced to retreat to avoid losing their ships altogether. That left the Stingray and the Merrimack to work over the world of Reticuli II, and they got right to the task. Reticuli had shot its wad, its systems overloaded and no longer functioning properly, overheated until there was nothing that could be propelled skyward. The Stingray and Merrimack were merciless as their laser strikes destroyed one Avian after another. The numbers dropped to 150/200, 100/200, 50/200, each accurate shot killing another five or so birds. Communication with those down below would be futile – no world would surrender unless it was a civ’s final world. And so the laser beams continued to strike.
 
In 2788.06, Reticuli’s final brave defenders gave up the ghost, kicked the bucket, came home to roost, entered bird heaven, and with it, the Avian empire was cut in half. There would be more fighting at the Avian’s home world, Perseus III, but that was in the future. Iiiiz combat ships had to lick their wounds, replace their armor, and the fighting there could wait. It was now a time for rest and relaxation.

< Message edited by dominican -- 4/3/2008 2:07:47 AM >

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Post #: 14
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/3/2008 7:27:23 AM   
oi

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 5/26/2007
Status: offline 		Gravy, mac & cheese, and congratulations to the Iiiiz on their roasting of the now flightless wonders .  I find that it is often hard to go on the offense, as the computer advantageously can build and outfit ships approximately 5 times faster than you can.  Thus, it takes a number of turkey (or chicken) shoots just to stay even.  By the time one has repaired the damage to the ships, installed the upgrades, and picked out a nice world to attack, another 5 enemy ships shows up again to attack one of your worlds.  At the level of the game being played by the Iiiiz there are still a few potential "allies", but at level 4, everyone is an enemy.  Here is where ship design and planning can take its toll on the computer, as your well-defended cities and high combat experience ships can easily defeat a squadron of freshly minted rookie ships.
    Ensign Oi

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Post #: 15
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/3/2008 5:29:13 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		This is an amazing game, oi, one of the best I've ever played, inspite of the comparatively simple graphics. This is my second campaign, the first at difficulty level 3, after playing about a century at level 2. I love that each starship plays such an important role in comparison to most other similar-type games, where you might have 200 units running around and difficult to control. Each ship gains its own personality. I'm tracking individual kills for enemy freighters and enemy starships and will start reporting those, now that the numbers are building significantly.

Going in, I thought that races with similar philosophies might not always trust you highly but would at least never attack you, so it was rather shocking when the Robots attacked Antilae III. I saw four red unidentified ships approaching the planet but didn't scramble anyone because I thought I was immune to that, so that was certainly a learning opportunity.

I didn't know the other races build their starships faster, even at level 3? If so, maybe that's why, as you say, it's hard to get an attack going, between the numerous times you're attacked yourself, or it's time to add a ship upgrade. At least three times now I've had to call off a multi-ship attack to defend against an attack somewhere else in the Iiiiz empire, and twice the computer sent my ships home to upgrade inspite of my orders to attack. Maybe I don't have all the controls set right.

I'm staying about a hundred years ahead of what's reported here and lots of cool stuff happen in the next century not yet reported, and at least one other extremely surprising event.

Thanks for following along.

< Message edited by dominican -- 4/3/2008 5:34:43 PM >

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Post #: 16
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/4/2008 2:05:51 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 12
 
With the completion of the research into Plasma Screens in 2792, Iiiiz scientists next took on the task of designing a combination of all four possible screens, the Single Phase Deflector. A deflector would block all types of energy weapons a percentage of the time, saving wear and tear on armor.
 
Iiiiz starships continued their campaign against pirate ships, a source of cash flow for Iiiiz coffers, as well as continued their assault against the remaining Avian freighters, into the early part of the 29th century. The deflector research was completed in 2810 and maintenance crews added these defensive components to their starship designs. Three years later a new gunboat was added to the Iiiiz fleet, the Victorious, to be equipped with all the latest Iiiiz ship components, and a year after that, the scout Saratoga was ready for combat, its fewer components now in place.
 
The anti-freighter campaign shifted its focus to the Zotl empire beginning in 2823 after all worthy Avian freighter targets had been decimated. A decade later, all the pieces were in place to bring the Avians under the Iiiiz wing, with the long-anticipated assault against the final Avian civilized world, Perseus III.
 
The grand strategic plan to overcome the galaxy - either through combat or diplomacy- took one step closer to fruition with the assembly of a five-ship attack force, comprised of the corvette Stingray, gunships Sabre and Merrimack, and scouts Hermes and Lion. Perseus III was defended by the Avian scouts Spider and Roach.
 
Within minutes, the Spider and Roach were obliterated by the veterans Stingray and Merrimack, respectively, and after an impressive display of accurate laser fire by all five ships, the Avians had had enough, and surrendered in 2834.02. There were 47 Avian survivors of Perseus III, and they formed the nucleus of a willing work force to build up the fifth civilized world of the Iiiiz empire.
 
The Avians added two scout ships to the Iiiiz fleet, the Aphid and the Mite, bringing the total Iiiiz fleet size to 10, either in action, in repair, or in initial component deployment. Avian research plans were handed over to eager Iiiiz scientists, who added seven new discoveries to their inventory of blueprints – Type-5 freighters, Type-2 spacedocks, nuclear standoffs, fusion standoffs, nuclear missiles, fusion missiles and advanced fusion missiles. The Iiiiz could now choose to employ either advanced beams, missiles or standoffs as circumstances and specific opponents dictated, a great advantage in interstellar warfare.
 
With the addition of the Avian race to the original Iiiiz and Kerack civilizations, the Iiiiz empire now included five civilized worlds and 26 freighters to resource worlds. Ursa I had nine freighters, Pyxidis had eight freighters, Lyncis had five, Perseus three, and Sol only one.
 
Iiiiz spies continued to infiltrate enemy scientific laboratories, stealing the atomic death ray and the defensive death ray from the Sirens in the 2840s. With that the Sirens had nothing the Iiiiz hadn’t already researched. The Sirens, long a minor race with only one world and four trade routes, received a $5000 gift in 2838, and they began to be a serious contender in the following years, adding starships to its fleet and freighter routes to its economy.
 
The Iiiiz entered the Anti-Matter Age in 2840.08, and a whole new world of scientific possibilities opened before their eyes. Iiiiz scientists far out-distanced scientists from other races, nearly doubling the number of discoveries and “procurements”, either through spying activities or those gained from the two races added to their empire, the Keracks and the Avians.
 Coming up: the Minervans take their turn in attacking the Iiiiz, in the 3rd Battle for Lyncis III, the most desperate yet, a near-run thing.

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Post #: 17
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/4/2008 8:34:40 AM   
oi

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 5/26/2007
Status: offline 		        I have not yet figured out a way to attack a home world without using fully upgraded starships.  In the past, I would have an attack at the ready, and suddenly make a scientific breakthough that would require running the entire attacking starfleet back to space dock for a new upgrade.  As a result, I now plan my scientific program in advance to avoid this problem.  Thus, when my fleet has its eyes on attacking a home world, the scientists are busy on some long project like space dock upgrades. 
       If you have a particular home world that is weak, it is a target for all races.  Somehow the spies report back that the current defensive status of each homeworld (only to the computer, not to you).  Starting out new colonies and weak homeworlds are enemy starship magnets, and must be constantly defended by starships until they can get up to 4 cities and tough defenses.  Level 3 is the last time you will see races that share your philosophy and can become allies.  I did play one game in which my philosophy was subverted, and suddenly, instead of being in a game with only enemies, I found myself with friends!  At level 4, it is only a matter of how many races occupy the galaxy.  None are friendly.  Fortunately, they will often fight amoung one another, (rather than linking to form a super powerful nation) which gives you time to build your defenses.
       With "difficult pirates" turned on, it is nearly impossible to completely erradicate them.  As a result, I pick my battles.  If they are raiding a planetary system that generates a low income, I leave them alone.  But if they raid a cash cow, then they have to be pushed out.  Pirates inevitably utilize destroyers and cruisers, and employ some of the best weapons.  So there is nothing gunboats and frigates individually can do against them.  Usually, I employ battle tested fleets of smaller ships to swarm them.  Even though you can collect some cash from the debris, it does not pay for the damage one takes to eliminate them (not to mention the down time to repair the ships, and the time they spend hogging your space docks).  The only asset is that once again, cash flows from the dis-infected planet back to your homeworld. 
       If you have a particularly strong enemy, have your spies "arm pirates".  This makes at least three pirate ships appear, and depending on which planet systems they attack, can quickly bleed up $20 a year cash flow out of your opponent's cash coffers.  Interestingly, this cash loss does not show up in the current cash flow report, but is subtracted from your total cash.  Thus, if you think that you are drawing in a $15 a year income, but the total cash balance unexplainably seems to be falling, the difference can be calculated from the lost value of those worlds that have pirates.  Both pirates and enemies have a particular fondness for attacking your richest worlds.  For pirates, it matters not if you patrol these worlds, for suddenly your patrolling gunboat will encounter a bigger badder opponent.  I have been in the situation where my $28 per year world was occupied by a monster pirate ship that I simply lacked the resources to remove.  However, the same world was also targetted by my opponents, who would send in starship after starship, only to have them destroyed by the pirate.  Pirates do run out of expendable ammunition, and after this pirate had conveniently destroyed some enemy starships, I was able to time my attack and catch the pirate low on firepower and energy.     
       Ensign Oi

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Post #: 18
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/4/2008 7:53:48 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		oi, thanks for your interesting insights. You obviously have a lot more experience with Starships Unlimited than I. The pirates are enough of a pest at difficulty level 3, I can't imagine them being a lot tougher to deal with. But I haven't seen the bigger pirates like you have, so that might be one aspect of the easier difficulty levels. Here's another chapter, the 3rd Battle for Lyncis III.
 
A History of the Iiiiz – Part 13
 
A totally unprovoked attack by the Minervans in 2842, yet again on the unfortunate Iiiiz and Keracks innocently living in harmony and bliss, led to the 3rd Battle for Lyncis III. This one caught the Iiiiz nearly unprepared, as only the brave crews of the corvette Stingray and the scout ship Hermes were in position to give battle versus the frogs of Grus II. The reptilian race sent four warships against the Iiiiz, the corvette Israel and three gunboats, with the strange and unknown names of Russia, Portugal and Zimbabwe. They carried 4th-generation weapons in the Wave family - 13 Advanced Disruptors - distributed among the four lizard ships.
 
Immediately, frantic calls were sent to nearby Iiiiz star systems, and in moments, help was on the way, but would it be too late in arriving? Coming from Ursa I was the gunboat Sabre, from Perseus III the former-Avian scout Aphid, and from a Lyncis resource site, the former-Kerack scout Boa. For the time being, it was up to the Hermes and Stingray, as well as surface weapons, to save the planet.
 
The Hermes’ ship captain was a brave soul, but a foolhardy one sometimes as well. He and his crew, of course, were Robots, having rebelled against the straight-laced Robot mechanical race more than four centuries before, in 2412. For quite a while the Hermes and the Sabre were the entire Iiiiz fleet. On this day, however, the Hermes’ captain was a little too ambitious. It was never known just what happened to the captain’s electronic circuits in those last moments, what caused him to charge into a pack of iguanas when retreat would have been the better part of valor, but charge he did.  It was the charge of the light starship, with similar results. Flashes, sparks, disrupted circuits, burned-out components, crumpled armor plating, unresponsive laser beams, screaming and swearing, the unforgiving vacuum of space, death and destruction. The four turtle ships hurled disruptor wave after disruptor wave at the brave little ship, mixing in radiation waves as well, and the Hermes was not built to withstand such an overwhelming onslaught. The final garbled radio waves of the captain seemed to consist of some kind of poem, recalling the fate of something or someone named Mary and her adoring four-legged white life form.
 
(Truth be told, I mistakenly accepted the stupid computer-suggested maneuver in the heat of battle, rather than hit the retreat maneuver button like I meant to, to get away for the moment from the enemy. Mary and her little lamb, of course, comes from the book and movie 2001.)
 
And so now only the corvette Stingray was left to duel the four amphibian starships. The Stingray picked out one target to focus on, the corvette Israel, and as the Israel neared the planet, Lyncis’ gun crews far below began adding their input. Lyncis III had three armor components, but it wasn’t long before disruptor waves from all four ships had destroyed the first two plates and were going to work on the third. When the third was gone, lives would be lost on Lyncis.  It was a desperate situation.  In minutes, the Sabre had entered the star system but was making its way too slowly, it seemed. Time nearly stood still, like watching a car wreck in slow motion. The Stingray’s laser beams were having an effect on the Israel, and she soon backed off and out of the fray, not retreated, but not a threat either, for the time being.
 
At 2943.09, the last of Lyncis III’s atomic armor was destroyed, and now its internal components began to take hits, but worst of all, Iiiiz and Kerack civilians began to lose their lives. Finally, at .11, the Sabre arrived, the venerable, brave Sabre, and it began to throw laser beams at the Zimbabwe, but Lyncis was dying. The population was reduced to 142 from its original 190. At 2844.03, only 119 lives remained on the planet. The Stingray joined in on the attack on the Zimbabwe, and slowly its disruptor screens and laser screens were blown away, leaving it vulnerable to severe internal body blows. At nearly the same time, the Boa finally arrived, its Kerack crew determined to avenge the Kerack lives being lost on the planet below.
 
But still the snakes continued to fling disruptor waves at Lyncis III. At .05, 91 citizens remained, at .06 it was down to 79, at .07, only 58 citizens remained. Could they hold out any longer? When the Zimbabwe retreated, the Iiiiz and Kerack crews turned their attention to the Portugal, and at .09 it too fell away from the planet, and emphasis was immediately shifted to the gunboat Russia. Lyncis’s population count fell to 52. The Russia took massive laser beams from three directions and exploded at .11. Back to the Zimbabwe, and it too was destroyed at .12. The two remaining Minervan ships, the Israel and the Portugal, gathered what strength they had remaining and began their long trip across the stars to the opposite corner of the galaxy.
 
The 3rd Battle of Lyncis III had ended. The Hermes was lost. Lyncis’ body count was 138 of an original 190. Indications were that the snakes only had three starships remaining, and if two of them were damaged, that left only one undamaged one. It was time to lick their wounds, install new armor, and take the battle across the stars, to the Minervans’ home world, Grus II. The Iiiiz had had enough.

< Message edited by dominican -- 4/4/2008 7:57:43 PM >

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Post #: 19
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/4/2008 9:32:27 PM   
oi

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 5/26/2007
Status: offline 		High level disrupter waves can really be potent weapons, unless you have the right screens.  And armor is not an effective defense against waves.  The worst maneuver is to have your starship caught in the middle between two ships hitting it with waves.  I learned this lesson when a pair of scouts took out one of my powerful star cruisers in seconds when it became poorly positioned, something that no other weapon type could have done.  Luckily for the inhabitants of Lyncis-III, waves are not the best at cooking home worlds.  Perhaps the remaining citizens of Lyncis-III should create a special memorial for the Sabre, whose arrival could not have come a moment sooner.

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Post #: 20
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/5/2008 1:48:25 AM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 14
 
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.
 
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%.
 
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.
 
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? 
 
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”.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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?
 
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?

(in reply to oi)
Post #: 21
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 4/11/2008 9:02:04 PM   
dominican

 

Posts: 60
Joined: 3/17/2008
Status: offline 		A History of the Iiiiz – Part 15
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

(in reply to dominican)
Post #: 22
RE: The Iiiiz Have It - 6/21/2008 7:30:09 AM   
oi

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 5/26/2007
Status: offline 		We can only hope that the sudden ominous silence from the Iiiiz does not mean that they have been overtaken by a disaster.
    Oi 

(in reply to dominican)
Post #: 23
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