The Galaxy thus far...Technical details: >Irregular Galaxy Shape>Dense Nebulae Density>2000 Star Systems>10x10 Sectors>21 Starting Empires>Aggression = Chaos>Difficulty = Extreme>Research Speed = Slow>Pirates = Very Many>Space Creatures = NormalAnd the details not mentioned in the save file loader are the fact I decided to play with random techs, which makes me want to fly myself into a star. It's been interesting, but having stuff like Planetary Exploration locked at it's third tech has been the rough kind of interesting. And at the moment in this particular run, we focus now on a small story with Galactic ramifications that began with a er.. well, disturbance in the Char Dilba Disturbance, an ion storm encompassing the star of the same namesake, Char Dilba. Anymore looking forward to the next updates or DLCs?
The story begins with a message from command saying that something had awoken in the Char Dilba system. Specifically, a Planet Destroyer class vessel, that had been undergoing repairs conducted by the Daidalun Consciousness, a Hive Mind of Boskarans. While the wreak was technically found and repaired in neutral territory, no one in their right mind would challenge the Consciousness to the claim. Of all the Empires in this Galaxy, they are indisputably the most powerful. That said, all that power could do little to convince the now active AI pilot of the repaired planet destroyer to relinquish it's control to an entity that had not made it.
Soon after waking up and blasting everything it could target in the Dilba system, the planet destroyer engaged it's warp drives and began moving eastward, toward Daidalun territory. Deep One fleets were quickly dispatched to follow the ship and monitor the situation with long range scanners. Led by admiral Redarik Jitula, commander of the flagship of the Wekkarus Monarchy; "Overwhelming Protector", the fleets kept pace with the faster behemoth as well as they could.The dockyards or the capital world Irbeis, and the home of the Monarchy's advanced shipyards, were quickly scrambled into action to refit two mothballed fleets of atomic bombardment frigates into makeshift boarding vessels.The intent from the Emperor was clear. This vessel would be for the Monarchy.
It was here where the planet destroyer made a stop to attack local civilian merchant vessels in the star system that was simply designated FA159. Little of note was here, except for a Daidalun monitoring station put in place to keep tabs on the Wekkarus to their west. With nothing else in the system, FA159 served little other purpose than a gravity well for hyperdrives to lock on to for long distance jump calculations. I also started tagging images with the in-game date. It's not vital or anything, I just think it's neat to keep track of.
Approximately two months, twenty-three days after the planet destroyer, now knows to have been named, "World Shatterer" by the ancient Mortalens that built her, the second of the two retrofitted bomber fleets warps out of the Urd Mantil system to rendezvous with Admiral Jitula.
Four months, eight days later, the stage is set. The plan is simple. The combat fleets are to initiate the fight. The bomber fleets, repurposed as boarding vessels with assault pod craft in their bomb bays where the atomic weapons would have previously been, are to stand by and give the combat fleets a few days head start before initiating their own warp in. This is to give the combat fleets enough time to focus fire the shields of the Shatterer down. Without this step, the assault pods cannot board their target.
Not to say there was much math involved, but command seriously miscalculated how powerful Shatterer's shields were. When the bomber fleets arrived a few days into fighting, they warped in to see a practically fully shielded Shatterer waiting to greet them.
While the plan had immediately fallen apart, there was little else for Admiral Jitula to do but commit. Seen here is a clip of gun cam footage from a fighter of the 33rd Flagship fleet, preparing an attack run on the Shatterer.
After one month, nine days of spacefighting and the loss of six ships, the combined fleets had finally managed to whittle the shields of the Shatterer down to levels the assault pods could penetrate. Boarding actions upon the gargantuan vessel commenced, and while the numerical advantage was clear, it would be arduous fighting to fully clear the ancient AI of it's autonomous defenders and put control of the ship fully in the tentacles of the Monarchy.
Boarding forces reported total control gained over the World Shatterer on September 8th, 2887, exactly one month and a day after they began their assaults through the seemingly then ending corridors and inexhaustible hordes of robotic troops, automated turrets, and uncooperative interior systems. And now, after under a year, the Deep Ones had a ship that could help even the odds against the Daidalun Conciousness, or whatever else might threaten the Monarchy.
