The Clean Death of Us All - SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.52

[bvanevery]

Details old fashioned pork project

old fashioned pork project

We designed a suitably outlandish project for our current societal state.  It's not that such devices will never be useful.  It's that we could make 3 of the slower, messier formers in the same time.  Although frankly I'd put armor on it if we knew how.  The people love armor!  It gets them so excited, especially when they don't have to pay for it.  Which is the point.  When the sky is the limit, always say, "It needs armor."  You can scale it back later, when you're not in a committee hearing anymore.

[bvanevery]

Details get thee to the jungle already

get thee to the jungle already

We were not so fortunate in our sea fishing last time.  The fast and furious terraformer remains unbuilt.  Next year we would like to try again.  But our colonists are foot dragging, having been given ample warnings, incentives, and deadlines for putting to sea.  We don't want our limited workshops taken up with their petty concerns any longer.  There are blue sky projects to dazzle the public with.  So we hand them a pittance to get them out the door and on their way.

Details roughly 2 credits for 1 mineral

roughly 2 credits for 1 mineral

Details roughly

roughly

<SIGH>  I know the accountants didn't run off to form their own faction.  The United Nations is the best thing they ever had going!  What went wrong?

Details penny wise

penny wise

Details pound foolish

pound foolish

We shall live with our mistake for now.  Next year, we could avoid our nearby fishing excursion, but there's opportunity cost.  Maybe we'll dredge up simple revenue anyways.

[bvanevery]

Details bounty of the deep

bounty of the deep

Remember how I said the people love armor?  Poseidon provides!  This stuff is even simple enough to make right away, no prototyping required.  We shall retrofit an uparmored design to our overly expensive land former forthwith.

Details what a boondoggle

what a boondoggle

[bvanevery]

Details good logistics

good logistics

Our colonists are finally underway.  But our transport is now on the wrong side of the land, to get to the jungle.  I've tried to explain to the people that our salvage campaign in the ocean has been insanely useful, far more profitable than we could have ever reasonably hoped.  But all they do is carp about settlement and eye that Battle Ogre in the town square suspiciously.  I don't think they appreciate what a good job I we are doing.  Yes, we are all in this together.

Now, stop complaining about that stretch of dry ground before your destination.  We've walked over far worse before.  And it's not like we won't be sending our one Former after you.  You will have a road, you will be able to greet your loved ones in the capitol shortly.

[bvanevery]

Details my kingdom for a horse

my kingdom for a horse

We failed to complete any of our former behemoths yet again, but we did dredge up a Unity Rover.  It will be useful for exploring more of our continent.  You can never have too much scouting for establishing safety.

[bvanevery]

Details uuuh WHAT

uuuh WHAT

Now, sadly, we know the origin of that thing we call a Battle Ogre.  We are not happy to meet an unknown species who owns one as well.  Their minds are clearly destructive, to make something so intimidating, with so many forceful limbs.  And what little our sailors can see of their ogre's crew, they are quite ugly.  I must try not to be prejudiced, as for all we know their looks could be deceiving.  But I have a bad feeling about this.

I hope they don't think it's "their" jungle.  Our few archaeologists have already established that they're not indigenous.  They are marooned like us, but we do not yet know why.

[bvanevery]

Details they speak perfect English

they speak perfect English

Perhaps they will simply tell us why.

They claim a mighty enemy, called the Usurpers.

Details WE are the Peacekeepers

WE are the Peacekeepers

And they think they will successfully combat this enemy, by extorting us.  They have a lot to learn about international diplomacy!  We know that they have hard power, but they do not know that we have one of their ogres as well.  We've also learned quite a bit of bushcraft in our 32 years here.  We will spew out many scouts forthwith, and locate the center of this new enemy.  Then we will teach them about "jurisdiction".

We should find these Usurpers as well.  The enemy of my enemy is my friend, how does that go?  It doesn't often work that way, but we still need to know.  And if these aliens are scary enough, perhaps the other factions will come back into the U.N. fold.

[bvanevery]

Details boondoggle completed!

boondoggle completed!

Timely.  We are hard pressed to move on to matters more important than politics.

Details bad breath down our necks

bad breath down our necks

The enemy is literally our next door neighbor.  This demonstrates the clear wisdom of our explorational policy.  Without our diligent scouting, they would have taken us completely by surprise.  We can be reasonably confident that we know more about our domains than they do, having never spotted them before.  Unless they have some kind of stealth or invisibility, which would be... disconcerting.  But we will not assume the worst.

What we can see, is that they have discovered minerals suitable for powering large industries.  And that they haven't developed this resource.  We will deprive them of it.

We unfortunately have no other decisive advantage.  We have parity, not superiority.  We are going to have to be more clever than them, if we are to prevail.  And perhaps a bit sacrificial.  We need our scouts to buy us time as we establish real industry and make a real war effort.  We will continue our sea exploration as the salvage has yielded us great resources.  Perhaps we are better explorers than they are, and can turn the tide in this way.

[bvanevery]

Details settlement phase two

settlement phase two

The people are complaining a lot less, now that our free boondoggle actually got done, and actually built a road quickly to their destination.  The more astute among them are already starting to worry about the massive pile of hostile fungus they'll be camping next to.  We're going to need a lot of cheap, disposable formers to clear that barrier and make it defensible.  And some crews brave enough to steer them.  And some real armor, not just slapped on for show.  Things sneaking up on us through the bush, simply wouldn't do.

[bvanevery]

Details bounty of sealift

bounty of sealift

In but one year, Poseidon has tripled the size of our merchant marine.  Moreover, they came equipped with Unity space class radars.  This will make uncovering even more golden oceanic resources, even easier.  This proves the wisdom of our explorational policy.  I only hope these aliens aren't as wise as us.

[bvanevery]

Details farther oddities

farther oddities

Losing contact with a scouting party, if even briefly, is terrifying because it usually means they are dead.  So far to my recollection we have been lucky and lost no one.  This is why we don't keep families in the loop about the actions of loved ones in the field.  It's too traumatic for them, and threatens base morale.  Like everything else, our budget for civil unrest is limited, especially with a fullblown war on.

Details short jumping

short jumping

Fortunately they reappeared not far from where they had faded.  But I wondered how far they could go.

Details twice to Wonderland

twice to Wonderland

And they opened a pod, and jumped again!  Is this region "cursed" ?  A geophysical anomaly?  It's a pity we don't have Professor Zhakarov to consult on such matters.  But he will be wondering about other things, like how to keep a mob happy.

Details lazarus

lazarus

Again they reappeared not far from where they had been.  But farther than previously.  They headed for home, to reunite with loved ones.  And because if there are any resources near us, we need to know.  A great resource that we can't reach, is of little value.  Even the Monsoon Jungle is effectively out of our reach for now.

[bvanevery]

Details incautious scouting

incautious scouting

Unfortunately our Unity rover ended its movement next to their battle ogre and was summarily vaporized.  Such is war.  It hasn't shown a lot of desire to cross the fungus to bother us, so we can be thankful for that.  Meanwhile at sea we dredged up yet another Artifact.

[bvanevery]

Details wiggler in the bush

wiggler in the bush

We complete a Sensor Array, simultaneous to a creature we've never seen before, under our enemy's direct control, emerging from the fungus.  It looks like a relative to the spore launcher we slew earlier, and we have to presume it's dangerous.  Our formers run for the cover of our capitol.  At least our Sensor will give us plenty of defensive capability, if it should attack our bases.  If it goes for the Sensor itself though, well, I suppose we'll have to build another one.  We don't have the personpower to meet this new threat in the field just yet.  Perhaps we could aim a ship's gun high into the air, from port, and thereby bother it?

Details just take us somewhere good

just take us somewhere good

These transdimensional migrations are nerve wracking.  They haven't interfered in any plan, yet, but transparency requires us to keep the citizenry nominally informed.  They don't like all this weirdness!  Well I'm not sure they could have ever expected less, I mean Earth is a terrible place if its surface isn't one big crater by now, but this isn't comforting.  People like to know that they have two feet solidly on the ground!  Not that the ground is this ground or that ground or some other ground...

Details drafted for the backyard

drafted for the backyard

We are going to try to spin this as heroism.  As opposed to the disaster of having no idea where our scouts are moving.  We've only seen 3 patterns so far.  This never seems to happen at sea.  We always end up somewhere we've not yet been.  And it's usually near where we are.  So, if we can explore the Alien's backyard without getting killed, we can at least hope it will never happen again.  Here, this way.  And who knows, maybe we'll gain valuable intel from this sacrifice effort.

[bvanevery]

Details more disaster

more disaster

The ground on this planet just cannot seem to be the ground.  It happened far away and we suffered no misfortune, but I'd not want to be at sea, in the face of such an event.  It is again an aspect of this world, that we have no control over.  I lay awake at night, folding pieces of paper, and burning them.  Well at least I think we can control the Aliens.

Aliens.  There are 2 Aliens...

[bvanevery]

Meanwhile, our merchant marine discovered the comm frequency of the cyberneticists in one of the wreckages.  Although odd, they are still half human, if they haven't finished all their implantings yet.  I don't see how they could, given our own lack of resources.  And from the cultural anthropology perspective, I don't think they'll be thrilled by the swinging crazy arms things our Alien neighbors dream up.  Unwieldy and irrational.  They may not see the Aliens as a threat, but they will at least not like them.  And that is a basis for trade.

Details especially for money, no other reason

especially for money, no other reason

Yes I'm quite sure I'd like you to talk to these Aliens as soon as you can.  Since the first words out of their ugly mouths were "Pay us or die."  I'm sure you'll be seeing it our way any year now.

Details but we're hoping you have lasers

but we're hoping you have lasers

Of course.  We're all about helping good actors and isolating bad ones.

Details how 'bout them lasers

how 'bout them lasers

I'm surprised we're still trading at parity with these eggheads.  Maybe advanced research programs and intellect aren't worth anything in the absence of logistical support.  Our merchant marine is legion!  It will win us the war.  We can even afford to pay them for something, if they have anything left to offer.

Details I'm not sure pacifism is rational

I'm not sure pacifism is rational

Sadly, no lasers.  Or any further tech from them.  Ordinarily I would not relinquish a trade advantage, but we've done a seriously good job of buttering them up.  If we keep going, we might even get an alliance out of it.  And if nothing else, we will know where they are.  Can't be too careful about the scouting.

Details far far away

far far away

Well at least we've established that we won't be fighting for hundreds of years.  It's a huge planet after all.  They are geopolitically a non-issue.  Famous last words!  I wonder who their neighbors are?  So far they don't have any, but these eggheads aren't as disciplined at determining the political lay of the land, as we are.

Details the machine turned me down

the machine turned me down

I pop the question.  Since you're in such a good mood, how about we get married?  Politically, I mean.  Not that the other way wouldn't be nice, but it's a bit impractical.   Nor are you my type.  Not that that ever stopped anyone in my homeland before, but such practices of human trafficking are archaic.  Anyways, yes, compute your lovely way onwards.

Details you have friends with lasers

you have friends with lasers

This is a longshot, but she hasn't lost patience with me, so I have to try.  At least I will determine who she doesn't know.  I've never seen the other factions to be terribly good at lying about such things.  They might tell me they won't hand over the comm frequency, but they don't lie about possessing it.  I think their egos cannot help but gloat about a trade advantage.

Details where is a warmonger when you need one

where is a warmonger when you need one

I am not sure who is likely to have built a viable laser, but I doubt it's my dear Zhakarov.  He'd probably just offer to plug me into his own research network.  Morgan is probably counting stacks of coins, but I'll ask anyways.  I compute the odds of Aki knowing more about Aliens than I do, as nil.

But who is this "Planet Cult" ?  There was no such thing on the Unity.  I know they didn't grab some pod and crash land with it.  I was watching our mission crumble rather carefully, at the time.  It must be some kind of New Age movement.  Well, at least we are actually in a new age, although it's gonna be a footnote to Earth's demise if we don't get some things going around here soon.

Why don't we have lasers?  It's not like we don't do any weapons research at all.  Peacekeeper's gotta keep.

Details you can't really have a clue

you can't really have a clue

She's still talking, boring as this is for both of us.  A professional diplomat would have long since shut up.  I like to say, "What a pleasant conversation we've had!  Lal out" when it really, really counts.  But a babbling cyborg might know more than I'd expect.  I could certainly get a laser from a "conqueror" Marr.  And he might even hand it over, to a sworn enemy of his enemy.  But of course, Aki did not know anything.  As I knew would be the case.  Why did I ask?  Right, because I am bored.  That's a risk, being diplomatically bored.  One might let something slip.

Details marriage next time let's talk

marriage next time let's talk

If you sit around in your little lab counting numbers all day, you are not going to know where Zhakarov is.  That is elementary, my dear cyborg.  She ended this ordeal before I could bore myself with asking about this "Planet Cult".  I don't care.  Whatever it is, it's not next door to us.  Back to real work.