Hey Riddick, why such the long face?
Durantium, ever hear of it? No. Didn’t think so. My scientists bought some for 1000bc. I know, my research budget is too high. Anyway, they found all these wonderful things they could do with it so we searched the universe, colonizing planets as we went in a fruitless attempt to find this material. We contacted some strange civilizations, Iconians (paranoid), Alterans (brainics, not sure if they are trustworthy), Iridiums (nice folks, like to trade) and some awful creatures call the Drengin.
Everything was going well. We colonized, kept the people happy and then I named myself monarch. Let them eat cake. That’s all their getting as I abolished elections.
The Iconians didn’t like us exploring the galaxy and complained when we colonized some planets that were a buffer between them and us. Out of nowhere, the Iconians declared war and capture the two buffer zone planets. Armed invasion of a peaceful de-militarized colony doing nothing but following scientific pursuits and digging for Durantium. All those civilians, living with those filthy Iconians. Our colonies were unarmed and unprotected. The Iconians continued their unprovoked assault by taking one of our original colonies. By then, we had ramped up our war production, every able bodied citizen were running to enlistment centers, generals and commanders recruited and in no time transports were full of brave soldiers looking for revenge.
We wiped out the pathetic fleets orbiting our planets and freed our people. The blood lust continued and we captured 3 of their planets. At this point the Drengin declared war and hit us 100s of parsecs from our fleet. I think the Iconians put them up to this as they sued for peace a week later. While coming to terms, we learned that the Iconian president had promised those two planets to his useless son as a playground. Oh well.
Our main fleets shifted to the Drengin front. Our military forces had properly defended these planets with orbiting ships which were enough to hold back the Drengin but millions still died as ships were thrown piecemeal to defend the planets. Our main fleets arrived and they were refitted in route with the latest tech. Older ships were reduced to planet defense. The Drengin fought with beam weapons, luckily our scans had informed us of this so we had good shields, so did the Drengin, too bad for them; our ships are armed with missiles.
The Drengin war never ended, we captured some of their planets and they captured them back. This went on for a while and then we were able to secure those planets and then the Drengin took a break, we were still at war but they stopped throwing ships at us. Later we would learn through GNN that they had declared war against the Alterans. The Alterans proved to be a push over for the Drengin and they wiped them out of the universe.
At this point the Iconians declared war on us again. The useless son had killed his father and wanted his playground back. Our pickets were no match for their updated weapons and once again, planets were falling. We kept one main fleet to maintain the border with the Drengin and again marched against the Iconians. At the same time, we offered an Alliance to the Iridium who gladly accepted.
The 2nd war with the Iconians was a no holds barred affair. Ask no quarter, give no quarter. They had updated their beam weapons (lucky for us) and their point defenses but they were no match for our latest tech and our Admiral class support ships beaming with tracking technology, missile supports, shield enhancements and the strongest sensors we could build. We could see them coming. We eradicated those bugs from the universe. At the same time we renewed our Alliance.
At this point, our universities were the envy of the galaxy, our research unmatched. Our people were getting unhappy, they didn’t think I could properly rule 78 planets. I’m king, I’m doing fine, help with research and go talk to someone who cares. If you complain too much. Those conquered Drengin planets still have slave pits.
My Science Minister told me about an Ascension Gate and said we should build one. So I authorized it. It would be done in 21 weeks. We continued our war with the Drengin who were reduced to 5 planets in a corner of the galaxy. At 11 weeks to go, the workers went on strike, being so far away it took weeks for the information to get to the palace. At that time we also learned from our spies that the Iridium were nearly Ascended. How is this possible? My Science Minister told me that those crystals we had found throughout the galaxy were sources of power. Now he tells me, today, not years ago, but today. He’s living on ToraBora12 now, a radioactive wasteland.
An emergency meeting with the military has us break off the attack against the Drengin and move our fleets to these crystals where we could blow up the Iridium star bases before they ascended. Our ships are in place and just before the order is given, the State Department informs me that the Alliance is still in place and we can’t break it. Why, our ships’ missiles work fine. He tells me that as part of the Alliance all warships were fitted with Iridium friend or foe circuitry which prevents our ships from firing on them and vice versa so accidents don’t happen. I look at my Defense Minister and he shakes his head in agreement. They both are shipped to sunny ToraBora12.
The strike is still in full force when the Iridium ascend. I’m sitting in a bar, talking to you. I’m leaving now, have to stay ahead of the Iridium forces as I’m not built for ToraBora12. Durantium, my kingdom for Durantium. This whole problem started because of Durantium.
