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LOG DATE: 3499-16-01
It's been ten fortnights since the last supply drop. Since the council's last meeting, I've been called back to active duty and assigned to Logistics. I'll lead the team that will ensure that the citizens on the front lines have all they need to prevail. Weapons, ammunition, and the minor things like food and warm beverages.
Edited Dec 12, 2020 17:18 UTC · fix typo
LOG DATE: 3499-16-03
First day of duty. Amazing how comfortable the routines are. After passing the loyalty tests, I was cleared for access to briefings. The situation is worse than the news is reporting. All communications with the Masters have disappeared. Intelligence believes that a race of aliens has betrayed the Masters and risen up against them. I can only imagine the horrors such monsters will visit upon our world when they arrive in our system.
I am troubled by how little we know about our region of space. Before the Masters arrived 2,047 years ago, we had many scientists surveying the stars. Afterwards, those scientists were unnecessary and re-educated. What a waste! We have no maps that show locations of planets, civilizations, or trade routes. If it wasn't for the data from misdirected supplies, we wouldn't even know that there other races out there!
There's so much that we don't know, but the priority for the team will be inventorying and preparing our defenses against the traitors.
Edited Dec 13, 2020 05:25 UTC · readability
LOG DATE: 3499-16-04
The Navy informed me today that we have light-speed capable ships. I'm not fully cleared so they shared only what they needed for support. We've been preparing for a siege and now I'm told that we're going to launch an offensive within the fortnight. "The best laid plans of skeeds and men..."
That was followed by a briefing from the research teams. They've done an incredible job of collating data on a hundred years of production for the Masters and on those misdirected supplies. They have evidence of two other races nearby. They suspect that there may be more and that some may be robotic. Imagine that, self-aware boxes of vacuum tubes wandering the stars. I must assign someone to liaison directly with them.
LOG DATE: 3500-01-03
The Year's End celebrations were muted. Citizens are anxious. Most are praying for the Masters to return; others are busy preparing for the unknown.
The Council has raised my clearance to better help with outfitting the Navy.
At today's briefing, we found out the Navy has built 10 fast scouts and 10 supply ships. 20 starships! How did the Navy manage to build so many in total secrecy? And to what purpose?
LOG DATE: 3500-01-15
The freighters are leaving the home worlds today. They're headed to the nearest systems where they will establish mining colonies. The Council is taking a gamble on un-surveyed systems, but we'll need the resources if we're to survive.
The scouts have been ordered to explore all of the remaining systems within 15 cubits. Once we know the available resources, we'll prioritize establishing more colonies.
I worry that the Navy is not being completely truthful. There's a persistent rumor that warships are patrolling beyond the outermost colonies. They've requested enough supplies and Citizens to outfit another dozen ships.
Edited Dec 28, 2020 05:26 UTC · fix typo and copy+paste errors
LOG DATE: 3500-02-03
I have pride in my fellow Citizens. At this time last year, we had few orbital ships and had never ventured into deep space. Today I toured the shipyards and saw dozens of new ships, ready to launch.
LOG DATE: 3500-02-13
Reports have been coming in from the survey ships.
There has been a change of leadership in the Navy. The Council had ordered surveys of the nearby systems. Many captains ignored the intent and concentrated their scans on detecting signs of alien ships and outposts. I fear that this will cost us dearly and we must send out more ships to search those systems for minerals and other resources to help us defend our system.
That oversight could have been forgiven; the orders were open to interpretation. But when we received the cadet requirements for manning the new ships, we realized that the Navy had built ships for war. The admirals maintained through the trials that they couldn't change the shipyard's configuration that quickly. The new commanders have sworn to adapt the yards as directed.
There was some good news. Many of the systems that were properly surveyed have easily accessed deposits. We've started outfitting ore carriers to transfer the materials to our foundries.
LOG DATE: 3500-03-03
Alien ships have been sighted in multiple systems!
The timing couldn't be worse, coming immediately after sacking much of the admiralty. The Navy reminded the Council of our earlier estimates that life is rare and it would be months, if not years, before we encountered another race. This, they claim, is proof that the aliens are savage hordes seeking out worlds to destroy.
I fear a rapid mobilization without the supply chain to support an all-out assault.
LOG DATE: 3500-03-04
One of the alien races seems to be trying to communicate using a highly tonal language. The captain of the ore ship said the voices were hypnotic and repetitive. Our initial analysis indicates that it shares some structure with our ancient songs, but we can't be sure without sending an envoy.
The Navy seems to have suddenly found religion to be useful. They presented the Council with a member of the priesthood who declared it be a "cursed Mixolydian chant." Her scriptures foretell of "doomen riders" from "the skies," spreading "doom."
Edited Jan 7, 2021 16:05 UTC
LOG DATE: 3500-03-12
Analysis of the second encounter has completed: the ships contained no life. Most have concluded that they were automated probes. A few maintain that the crews died from unknown hazards and the ship is essentially continuing on autopilot.
The Navy continues to push for better, bigger warships. How can they know what "better" is if they've never engaged an enemy? How can they pretend that they know tactics when their worst opponent has been corporate raiders in the outer belts?
The trade guilds are asking the Council to capture the "empty" ships. It seems like a shorter path to gain new technology than funding research.
LOG DATE: 3500-03-13
The Council reached a compromised with the Navy and the trade guilds. For the moment, the Navy will be content to establish picket lines while building a reactionary force. The guilds have been promised more access to the resources of the closer systems.
LOG DATE: 3500-04-01
The Navy reports that its first attempt to "contact" an alien ship has resulted in the destruction of that ship. The ship was, if I understand the scans, a small cabin wrapped around a very large engine. It may have been some sort of scout.
We have sightings in almost a dozen systems now. Space is more crowded that I thought just a few fortnights ago.
Edited Jan 11, 2021 14:26 UTC
LOG DATE: 3500-04-02
We have learned the secrets of the Master's language translation devices. Messages are being transmitted to the aliens. There is some hope that we can join forces and await the Masters' return. We have ships, weapons, and supplies. The Council is deliberating and will soon announce the decision.
LOG DATE: 3501-03-01
For many fortnights now all effort has gone to securing the home worlds. The Pure Polity uprisings have been put down. Communications are being restored. Initial reports are not good. Freighters on resupply runs have been attacked. Several of the outer colonies have stopped responding to hails. Now that we have control of the Navy again, cruisers are being assigned to protect routes. Support is being sent to the farthest outposts. Manuals for the automated systems are being translated. Soon we may be able to drive the manufacturing programs.
LOG DATE: 3501-03-13
The Merchants are working hard to restore the supply lines to the outposts. They've accepted support from the Navy in return for establishing military ports in the colonies.
Our scouts tell us that we're outnumbered and outgunned. Many of the alien ships that we've encountered are remarkably different from the designs that the Masters, in their wisdom, have designed. Must we abandon their vision to save us from the hordes?