After some debate, it is decided that introducing Avians into the Maven program would be ill-advised at this juncture. It is decided that there are still too many unknowns, including an uncertainty as to how the Mavens will react to pain and even death, to make the move at this point in time.
However, after an initial reluctance, the AI advises an additional well-protected colony be be put up on Gaia. The laissez-faire group of colonists chafes a bit at the notion of having a couple of Mavens along as advisors, but eventually relent, as they still lack any other way to travel between planets on a scale needed to found a new colony. A team of mining bots is sent ahead to an agreed upon site and set to digging out a series of survival bunkers, as well as to prepare an earthen mound wall for initial protection. Everything about the founding goes smoothly, and the new colony is set up with 150 intrepid explorers to begin with, in addition to the two Mavens and a small force of security bots.
On Aries, a space academy is set up to prepare humans for work in the burgeoning space force. Amazingly, some of the Mavens stumble onto a previously overlooked set of knowledge in the databases that allows them to become experts at all of the skills necessary to operate and maintain space ships ranging from fighter to capital ship sized. A wave of new recruits floods in, and the first class should be ready in a few months.
Fortuitously, the drydocks and shipyards have worked out their initial kinks, and are well on their way to producing the ships for the new crew to fly. A mix of fighters and frigates, skewed to the former, will be ready for space trials when the first class graduates. The frigates are outfitted with shields, mass drivers, missiles, and lasers, while the fighters have lasers and missiles.
Research continues apace, with two major advances being made. Fusion reactors are constructed on Aries, although further work will be needed to miniaturize them for use in space. Absorptive stealth coatings are also developed, and applied to the new constructions in space. This will make the ships harder to detect and provide additional protection from lasers.
Efforts to construct self-healing battle armor are unsuccessful at the moment, as most of the research momentum is spent in space-related ventures. Small arms technology is similarly stunted; standard ballistic guns are the norm for now.
A one-man shuttle is sent out towards the Moonies, with a volunteer pilot. Tension is high, as messages have been going unanswered. As the shuttle approaches the outer system, it shows several incoming asteroids at breakneck speed coming from the asteroid belt. Too many to be a coincidence. Evasive maneuvers are unsuccessful, and the ship is lost. The Grand Parliament is terrified. Linguists begin poring back over old data, now unsure whether they have been understanding the Moonies this whole time. This is going to be a rough few months.
Time lapsed in system: 3 years, 2 months- Controlled Infestation on Aquarius
- In orbit of Aquarius
- Basic in-system commerce
- 2 Nano Factories
- 5,700 person colony on Aries
- Two Settlements (300 people total) on Gaia
- 10 person Xenocommunications team on Aquarius
- 10 Pre-Mavens
- 101 dead
- Bank of animal and plants
- Genetic manipulation of complex organisms
- Human Cloning
- Electrochemical Ammunition
- Aerotransmission
- Strong Magnetic Shields
- Basic medical robots
- Deep Land Drilling
- Combat missile drones
- Mass drivers (orbital)
- Mass drivers (planetary)
- Sensor Probes
- Construction and miner bots
- Freighters (variable size; no armaments; no defenses)
- Frigates (100 ft.; mass drivers, missiles, lasers; shields, absorptive stealth coating)
- Fighters (15 ft.; lasers, missiles; absorptive stealth coating)
Note: if no location is given, resource is
on ship- Nuclear weapon (1) on Aries
- Shipyard (100 ft. max length) above Aries with small space elevator
- Orbital lenses (Several orbiting Aries and Aquarius)
- Combat missile drones in space around Aries
- Small defensive fleet orbiting Aries
- Small fleet of freighters
- Giant telescope in orbit of Aries
- "Gaia":
- abundant minerals
- 50% water,
- genetically modified, unintelligent animals
- Earth-like atmosphere
- dangerous temperature maintenance systems
- Two Settlements
- Planet B: ash, acidic atmosphere, radioactive, weapons testing platform, small mining operation, nuclear and geothermal generators
- "Aquarius": aquatic world, savage aquatic life, pack-like nomadic intelligent Avians, virulent bacteria, algae infestation: 6% of surface, small harvesting operation, Wrinkled Suckfish Cloning industry, Avian Contact Center
- "Aries"
- Some minerals
- Mars-like with basic atmosphere
- Some bacteria
- Some moss and fungus
- a few trees
- Medium mining operation
- Arcology and colony with survival bunkers
- Medium industrial base
- Small brewery
- Thriving insect creation industry
- Small clinic
- Human cloning and fertility center
- Grand Parliament
- Basic School system
- Space Academy
- Planet E: abundant minerals, inhospitable, small mining operation
- Abundant Asteroids
- Gas Giant A: mysterious interference, intelligent life
- Gas Giant B: mysterious interference, intelligent life
- Can communicate through mental implants
- Produces own electricity via small organ
- Can be given programs to augment skills and knowledge
- Small amounts of Personality Bleeding
- Pack dwelling
- Near-human intelligence
- Nomadic
- Capable of tool use
- Quick breeding rate
- Teach new generations
- Learning sign language
- Dwell on multiple moons around Jovian planets
- Appear isolationist
- Possess at least rudimentary space flight
- Maintain an economy between multiple moons (evidenced by traffic between them)
Poll
7 (33.3%)
Author
Topic: Terraforming: Suggestion Game (Read 362913 times)