G'Norlisk:

  Duly noted, councilor.  There appears to have been a glitch somewhere in the Tallybot's automated vote counting system.  Our engineers should have that cleared up before the next session.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

***INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALPHA***

***FROM: COMMANDER MEKOIDES, EXTERRA COMMAND***

***TO: INITIATIVE COUNCILORS AND ROYALTY, TOLMEKIA PRIME***

***SUBJECT: QUARTERLY REPORT, OCTOBER 01, 2228***

Cmdr Mekoides:

  Good to see you again, councilors.  There have be a number of important developments since the last session.  Foremost amongst them is the return of representative government to the people of the Initiative.  We've had our first elections and I'm happy to report that we retain control of the government despite mediocre approval levels.  Beyond that we claimed two more planets, contacted two more races, launched a freighter, found and claimed another galactic resource, and opened the Restaurant of Eternity.

There's a lot of material to cover, so let's get started.

  It's mostly the same drivel from our analysts.  You can see from the report that we've encountered the Yor forces and a race native to this region, the Gnolams.

  The current local map.  The Thalans have finally begun to push back against our expansion.  Their scout arrived a few weeks ago, followed by colony ships.  They just laid claim to the small planet in Exterra's system, but there's no way the colonists there will be able to resist the draw of our culture.  They rely on our goods, eat our food, and enjoy our entertainment.  Another colony ship is inbound, but we'll be launching a new ship from Exterra that will beat them to their target.

  To the west, you can see that we barely beat the Sakkra to Eridani.  They adjusted course and landed on the PQ5 planet near the Holmes system.  Nearby, our colony ship is heading to claim the last habitable planet in the area, just NW of the DS system. Lastly, we have a colony ship in orbit around Fortuna ready to depart.

  Our freighter en route to Thala was equipped with extra sensors to double as a scout.  They found a rare concentration of material very near to Felicity station.  Since Bastion II had begun producing constructors to expand Felicity, it was an easy decision to re-route one to claim this resource.

The material apparently produces an energy field that creates a very soothing, almost spiritual effect to those nearby.  By building a resort here we control a top recreational destination in the galaxy, greatly increasing our cultural influence.

  Here you can see the homeworld of the Gnolams.  The Kushana spotted it while pushing to the very edge of her range.  Shortly afterward they were hailed by a scout from the Yor Collective, opening communications with them.

I'll let the others present their material before I go into further detail.

***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***

***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Viceroy Gunray:

  Ah . . . it is a pleasure to address the council again, especially with such good news.  Our economy has exploded under the new republic, generating unprecedented tax revenues.  With high positive cash flow and a healthy treasury, I believe our days of economic worry are gone.  That doesn't even account for our outbound freighter or any future interstellar commerce.  What's more, the Galactic Bazaar will be open for business in a couple weeks.  We're already booked to capacity for the foreseeable future, guaranteeing us a premium return in our transactions.

  Our present economic conditions.  You can see that our treasury is comfortably stocked and is now supplied by a very healthy income.  Implementation of our Xeno Entertainment programs and further upgrading of Felicity Station will allow for even higher revenues, if needed.

  Contact with the Gnolams offers a great opportunity.  I suggest that upon completion of the Galactic Bazaar, we trade with the Gnolams for Diplomatic Relations.  This technology would allow us to construct the Diplomatic Translator, which would further enhance our negotiations with other races.  The Translator is of such value that I also suggest we immediately begin work on the Translator at Fortuna.

Other trading opportunities.  Initial negotiations tell us that most of these technologies available for trade require a non-trivial exchange.  Commander Mekoides has an intriguing trade to propose, so I'll reserve my opinions on the matter other than to say that we should wait until the Bazaar and, preferably, the Translator are up and running before entering into further negotiations.

G'Norlisk:

  Let me take this opportunity to quickly present the results of our senate elections.

  The election went smoothly, with turnout very high all around.  The citizens seem excited by the transition to a Republic and it boosted results for the Federalists.  We retain control of the senate with a healthy majority of 53 seats compared to the next largest blocs of 15 and 13 seats, held by the Pacifists and Mercantilists, respectively.

***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***

***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Minister Andimus:

   Colonization and development are proceeding on schedule and according to plan.  As the commander mentioned, next quarter we will lay claim to the last two habitable planets in our core systems.  The commander didn't mention, however, that we have a second Sooner class colony ship ready to depart.  Sauron just launched its first ship into orbit.  That means we have two Sooners ready to begin the journey northward.  We may yet snatch a few worlds from the Thalans before this is done.

That said, let's take a look at our new domain.

  Eridani and DS7.  We found more ruins on DS7 and only cleared enough of them to settle, leaving the rest in an undisturbed state.  Eridani is set to be an economic world, while DS7 may become a production planet to supply constructors for Research Base Altius and other starbases.  In times of need, it could also become a fighter factory.

  A reexamination of our great Fortuna, the real engine of our expansion.  I'd rather not speculate on our position should we not have discovered her.  The reason for this review is to show that Fortuna is reaching full development.  If construction of the Diplomatic Translator is approved, it would be Fortuna's final project in its current state.  It would also be on the site of the precursor ruins.  I have no objection to its placement there, as Fortuna was never meant to be the seat of our culture.  If waiting for Soil Enhancement is out of the question, the only other real option to preserve the ruins would be to build around our Recruitment Center and move the Center when construction is complete.  I could fully suppport that option.

  Our growing list of colonies.  Some of the colonies with no social projects are merely in transition, awaiting further instructions.  Others have actually reached full development. Six of our sixteen colonies are either fully developed or will be so by the end of the quarter.  Exterra, Fortuna, Bastion I and II, Otho, and Gimble are all at that point.  There is certainly a growing need to prioritize Soil Enhancement if we intend to continue development.

***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***

***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Minister Sune:

  We now have a wealth of information at our disposal.  We have a high level of intel on the Thalans, a medium level on the Drath, and a low level on the Gnolams.  Our four active agents are currently working to increase our penetration into the Drath governemt.  After we gain access to their planetary networks, resources will be transferred to the Korx and Yor.

  A glimpse of the Gnolam and Yor holdings.  The Sakkra now have 5 worlds, the Korx 11, the Drath 13, and the Thalans 30.

  Relations and treaties.  Relations have improved since the last session.  Of the races we've contacted, the only connection is trade between the Drath and Korx.

In an effort to keep the council informed on developments of galactic import, I've included reports of major projects completed in the galaxy.  These aren't the first reports, only the first included.  I believe we had a previous report of the Korx building their Economic Capital.  In summary, we have a Drath OCC, our Restaurant, a Korx OCC, the Krynn Economic Capital, and the Torian Aquatic Transport Station.

  Finally, we review the rankings provided by our analysts.  Technology and production remain very high, while our economy has jumped to third.  The Thalans remain the dominant economic power, and we suspect the Krynn my rank 2nd.

***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***

This is excellent news re the economy Ministers-well done! And how heartening to see a smooth transition to more representative government!

Personally I feel now may be the time to start developing our martial capabilities....

***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Dr. Markus Malar

  I'd like to make a couple remarks before I proceed to our research outlook.  First, if we pursue further development on our oldest colonies, I'd recommend Soil Enhancement before Weather Control.  We can implement it faster, then use the enhanced regions to construct Weather Control Zeniths.  Second, given the colonization outlook, I'd say it's time to build a Visionary class survey ship at Fortuna.  The lucky find by our freighter reminds us that valuable resources may lay undiscovered right by our own systems.  The sooner we can secure our claim to them and exploit their advantages, the better.

  As promised, research times have been reduced since last quarter.  We could easily implement 3 or 4 new technologies this quarter with the right selections.  I have no particular recommendations beyond what has already been discussed.

Cmdr Mekoides:

  Alright, let me wrap things up with a couple issues for the council and the updated galactic map.  I'll start with the trade alluded to by the viceroy.  I'm not sure how intriguing it is, but it does bear consideration.  As you saw in the trade presentation, the Yor possess the technology to colonize barren worlds.  They ask a high price, but with the Bazaar and Translator I think we can arrange an acceptable exchange.  It's something of a deal with the devil; however, our intelligence tells us this devil is at a strategic disadvantage.  In my estimation we can afford the trade-off and emerge stronger.

The second issue I'd like the council to consider is building relations with the Gnolams.  They seem to be peaceful and share a number of our values.  If any of the native races are worthy of the Federation's friendship, the Gnolams must be among them.  I foresee danger for the Gnolams, though.  Their homeworld looks to be caught up by Thalan expansion and their other worlds must be near the Yor or Iconian borders.

I'll let the council deliberate on the matters and move on to the map and summary.

  It's quite busy, I know.  I'll explain:

 - New aqcuisitions are circled in green.  The Thalans have claimed 2 resources in addition to 3 planets.  Looks like the Torians also claimed 3 worlds.

 - Habitalbe planets are in green with white PQ values, only 5 remain.

 - Barren Planets are in red.  Their high quality and location make a strong case for an exchange with the Yor.

 - Known Thalan colony ships and their paths are in purple, unlabeled.

 - Our colony ships and paths are in blue, also unlabeled.  The Kushana and our freighter are labeled.

- Lastly, the Gnolam homeworld is labeled on the map.

Summary of issues:

• Trade with Gnolams and build Diplomatic Translator on Fortuna - location of Translator?
  
• Trade with Yor for Barren World Colonization
• Research items: Basic Miniaturization (from last session), Soil Enhancement, Space Weapons (mambaman)
  
• Build Visionary at Fortuna
  
• Strengthen relations with Gnolams - trade? technology?

***END TRANSMISSION***

Assembly, fellow councilors,

Maybe it would be good to clarify what exactly we are giving to the Gnolams (how do they benefit from Galactic bazaar) in return for the Diplomatic translator?

Shouldn't we lower taxes to improve population growth? Are there still planets that er not being developed at the moment, such as Canopus II? Or did all of those planets reach their full potential until terraforming technologies become available?

I would agree that it's no big loss if we build the Diplomatic translator on Fortuna's precursor ruins. For me the loss of some potential influence gains so deep within our area of control isn't worth even temporarily losing economy and population growth for. Though I don't really oppose that option either.
Visionary survey ship: let's build it, provided it doesn't take too long to construct.

Minister Sune, in our ranking versus other races, would it be possible to get a report that compares us to the best in each category (instead of the current graphs showing the Drath)? If I am mistaken, I would then recommend comparing us to our closest and most threatening neighbours the Thalans since I would believe they are our main concern at the moment, more so than the Drath.

In terms of interesting technologies in the short term, I see Xeno entertainment, advanced computing, soil enhancement and space weapons. Speaking of weapons, is there any sign of military buildups by the other races so far?
Let's keep in mind that as soon as soil enhancement has been researched, we should investigate its potential on previously fully developed planets - and ensure that our income is still sufficient to start those developments.

I'm not sure we should be paying such a high price to get access to the colonization of barren worlds. Especially because it will hamper any further negotiations with the Yor. However I strongly second the suggestion to actively trade with the Gnolams. The stronger they grow, the better they can eventually fight the Thalans and the more we get out of the deal. We should be weary though that whatever technology we exchange with them, doesn't lead to them building great improvements which could later fall in Thalan hands (i.e. economic capital)

Regarding colonization I feel we are being squeezed, both by the Drath and the Thalans. Nothing I would like to add to that, other than that we should remain vigilant.

Yours sincerely,
Councilor Noctilucus

***SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Viceroy Gunray:  Any exchange with the Gnolams will be quite minor.  The Galactic Bazaar, once complete, gives us a strong position to negotiate from - It boosts the value of our offers by 50%, so we pay less for techs/planets/treaties.  It will likely be a tech-for-tech trade, with the Gnolams also paying some bc.

For the Yor, if we wait until both the Galactic Bazaar and Translator are complete, it is likely that we can arrange a fair deal for Barren World Colonization.  We are unable to give specifics at this time, and the construction schedule should push the actual transaction out until after the next session.

Minister Andimus:  Our current tax situation allows for steady population growth on all planets.  The majority of our colonies are at the point where it would be too costly to lower taxes sufficiently to boost growth.

Our revised development schedule is as follows:

Fully Developed currently (as of Q3 2228) - Exterra, Bastion II, and Otho.

Fully developed within this quarter (Q4 2228) - Bastion I, Fortuna, Canopus II, Gimble II, Holmes IV

Fully developed early next quarter (Q1 2229) - Eridani I, Ignis, Mamba Prime, New Qrtx, Sauron

Within the next 18 weeks, 13 of our 16 current colonies will be fully developed.  I'd say the argument for Soil Enhancement is quite strong.

Minister Sune:  Our comparisons can only be done against the races that we've encountered.  That said, here's what info we have:

  The Thalans feature prominently in this comparison, but are ranked lower than others in some regards.

***END TRANSMISSION***

Excellent news Minister and Viceroy and how comforting to see that none of the other Star Races has yet significantly begun to develop their martial assets.

To that end I would agree with the Minister's assessment that we must develop further our worlds whilst also trading Barren Worlds with the Yor-the huge gains on planetary quality of the 2 barren worlds in our sector make this a priority methinks.

I think the Ministers are set on a suitable course and give them my full backing

Assembly, Council:

I am in agreement with Councilor Mambaman on all issues but one, I believe that as soon as we get the chance we need to start developing "pure" military technologies and starships. Thank you for your time. 

 Greetings, Everyone,

           I believe we should, at least, research Xeno Entertainment this quarter. Also, I believe we should research Space Weapons and Space Defenses to gain a small diplomatic advantage, because of military, while the other races are still in the colony rush phase.

          Also, on the possible trades.  On the trade with Gnolams for Diplomatic Relations, since we ourselves can research it in practically no time, I am opposed to the trade unless we can get the tech from them for about 100 BC. (So can you please go to the trade screen and show us how much we would need to trade)  On the trade with the Yor, I am neither for nor against this matter, however I suggest waiting until we have Diplomatic Relations to trade with the Yor.

That is all.

Councilors, ministers:

Frankly, in regards to the precursor ruins on Fortuna, I see little reason to preserve them. Unlike several others we've found, they lack any research value, and as previously mentioned any influence we derive from them is all but pointless, given Fortuna's large sphere of influence already. I therefore approve of constructing the Diplomatic Translators on the site.

Also concerning the Translators, I agree to a degree with Councilor SarcFa. The time saved in a trade with the Gnolams is fairly insignificant. However, it's been proposed that we pursue further relations with the Gnolams. I therefore suggest specificly granting them our Trade protocols, in exchange for Diplomatic Relations. This opens up the opportunity for the Gnolams to send freighters to us, as well as the freighters we could already send them. In addition, a smaller species like theirs is likely to place a high value on Trade technology, meaning that we should be able to make quite a profit on it.

I support the earlier proposal that we wait before constructing the Diplomatic Translator before trading with the Yor. As there is no evidence that they are actively colonizing barren worlds, and no other species has shown interest in such technology, I feel there is no time pressure here.

The same does not hold for weapons tech, however. While thus far we have not encountered any civilization with an active military, this may not hold as we continue to expand. And of course, it's quite likely that the species we've met already will begin to develop weapons of their own. As I feel that developing Weather Control is also a priority, I propose the following 4 - Step Research Plan, to take effect after finishing research on Xeno Entertainment:

Soil Enhancement => Space Weapons => Weather Control => Space Defense

This will allow us to alternate equally between defense and development needs. Although completion of the plan will probably not occur this quarter, it is still likely to finish before too long. I believe Basic Miniaturization is not our highest priority at present, though still a useful technology. I recommend, again, that we develop it before actually designing a defense fleet.

Finally, one request for the Commander's staff - during our next briefing, would it be possible to display our current maximum range projection (i.e. for starships)?

***SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

Cmdr Mekoides:

  In the interest of saving time, I'll respond to all concerns.

The Gnolams ask 468bc for Diplomatic Relations, which would fall to around 310bc after the Bazaar is opened.  We would favor a technology exchange rather than an outright purchase, however.  It is very unlikely that they could turn around and distribute our technologies to rival powers - tech brokering is off.  I think our concern should be how we can best benefit the Gnolams in the exchange without shorting ourselves.  I repeat my concern that they are a small native population amidst large expansionist powers.  It's inevitable that they will come into conflict sooner or later.  Supporting them could turn to our benefit, and if it comes to it, perhaps they could be persuaded to join the Federation.

As for the particular exchange, it seems the Gnolams have already obtained basic trading rights (Trade).  There are a number of other technologies that we could exchange with them on a one-for-one basis, with a little profit on the side: Advanced Trade, Master Trade, Int. Governments, Int. Republic, Sensors I and II, Xeno Economics, Xeno Industrial Theory and Xeno Medicine.  This list, of course, doesn't include our unique breakthroughs in Xeno Geology, War Rooms, Sub-Space Drive, or Int. Navigation.  We tend to favor exchanging Xeno Economics or Medicine, to help with their expansion.

As a final note, I'll simply say that three weeks is three weeks.  It may not be long, but it would allow us to begin work on the Translator sooner and would make the difference in researching another one of the proposed techs this quarter.

Next, we agree with the proposed research plan.  We intend to finish Xeno Entertainment, and there seems to be broad consensus on the other techs.

Finally, we will include the range estimates for you.  As a quick note for now, the Gnolams homeworld is just out of our range, and our other bounds encompass the main of Korx space, Thalan Space, and Drath space.

***END TRANSMISSION***

***SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***

G'Norlisk:

  With discussion closed, I present the ballot.  We're adopting a new format, as suggested by Councilor SarcFa.  Each item has one line for voting.  Each councilor will indicate their vote in that line using one of the following symbols:

"+" = For

"-" = Against

"0" = Neutral/Abstain

The research portion of the ballot will remain the same, with each councilor numbering the proposed techs in the order he would like to see them researched.  When the ballot is complete, please sign at the bottom.

Research

Basic Miniaturization : 1,

Soil Enhancement     : 2,

Weather Control       : 3,

Advanced Computing: 4,

Space Weapons       : 5,

Space Defenses       : 6,

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +,

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : +,

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                             : +,

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: -,

Build Visionary at Fortuna                    : 0,

Signature:   Example,

***END TRANSMISSION***

Research

Basic Miniaturization : 4,

Soil Enhancement     : 1,

Weather Control       : 6,

Advanced Computing: 5,

Space Weapons       : 3,

Space Defenses       : 2,

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +,

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : 0,

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                          : 0,

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: +,

Build Visionary at Fortuna                 : +,

Signature:   SarcFa,

Research

Basic Miniaturization : 6,

 Soil Enhancement     : 2, 

Weather Control       : 5, 

Advanced Computing: 4, 

Space Weapons       : 1, 

Space Defenses       : 3, 

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +, 

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : +, 

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                          : 0, 

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: +, 

Build Visionary at Fortuna                 : 0, 

Signature:   Mambaman, 

Research

Basic Miniaturization : 4, 6,

Soil Enhancement     : 1, 2,

Weather Control       : 6, 5,

Advanced Computing: 5, 4,

Space Weapons       : 3, 1,

Space Defenses       : 2, 3,

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +, +,

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : 0, +,

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                          : 0, 0,

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: +, +,

Build Visionary at Fortuna                 : +, 0,

Signature:   SarcFa, mambaman,

Research

Basic Miniaturization : 4, 6, 5, 4

Soil Enhancement     : 1, 2, 3, 2

Weather Control       : 6, 5, 4, 5

Advanced Computing: 5, 4, 6, 1

Space Weapons       : 3, 1, 1, 3

Space Defenses       : 2, 3, 2, 6

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +, +, +, +

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : 0, +, +, +

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                          : 0, 0, 0, +

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: +, +, +, +

Build Visionary at Fortuna                 : +, 0, 0, 0

Signature:   SarcFa, mambaman, TMS2224, Noctilucus

Tallybot 5202:

Input data . . .

Analyzing . . .

Analyzing . . .

Compiling results . . .

Generating report . . .

Voting Results

Research

Soil Enhancement        : 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1 (10)

Space Weapons             : 3, 1, 1, 3, 3, 2 (13)

Space Defenses              : 2, 3, 2, 6, 5, 4 (22)

Advanced Computing: 5, 4, 6, 1, 2, 5 (23)

Basic Miniaturization : 4, 6, 5, 4, 4, 6 (29)

Weather Control           : 6, 5, 4, 5, 6, 3 (29)

Foreign Relations

Tech exchange with Gnolams (Diplomatic Relations): +, +, +, +, +, +: Pass 6-0

Tech exchange with Yor after DR and Translator       : 0, +, +, +, +, 0: Pass 4-0

Strengthen relations with Gnolams                                 : 0, 0, 0, +, +, +: Pass 3-0

Development and Shipbuilding

Build Diplomatic Translator at Fortuna: +, +, +, +, +, +: Pass 6-0

Build Visionary at Fortuna                         : +, 0, 0, 0, +, 0: Pass 2-0

Signature:   SarcFa, mambaman, TMS2224, Noctilucus, NikolaiOmega, qrtxian

Transmitting results to Exterra Command . . .

Transmission complete.

Good vote all 

***INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALPHA***

***FROM: COMMANDER MEKOIDES, EXTERRA COMMAND***

***TO: INITIATIVE COUNCILORS AND ROYALTY, TOLMEKIA PRIME***

***SUBJECT: QUARTERLY REPORT, JANUARY 01, 2229***

Cmdr Mekoides:

  Greetings, councilors, as the Kushana Initiative closes out its second year.  There are a number of positive developments to report as we look forward to a new year.  As usualy, I'll present the introductory material then let the staff go over their material before returning with the strategic outlook.

  The quarterly report and galactic map.  I'll present a detailed map with the strategic outlook.

We faced a number of situations that challenged our ethical code.  We managed to the best of our abilities.  Fortunately, we had the resources to quickly deal with the threat from the ancient war machines.

  In the interest of saving time, G'norlisk has asked me to present the results of this year's United Planets vote.  A resolution to allow starbase assistance between allies passed over the objections of the Korx and Yor representatives.

***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***