The above parameters were used for the exercise: it assumes a small quadrant of space with tightly packed stars, a random number of planets and stars, and a small number of habitable planets. Unusual features and asteroid resources are plentiful, as are native sentient species (a small conceit on Larth Debeus' part, to test the simulation's ability to simulate a non-human race). Finally, technology advancement is assumed to be extremely fast: the surviving Abh would be relearning to implement already-learned technology, a process that will take weeks as opposed to the months and/or years it took to originally develop them.
Based on a theoretical average, it was determined that Abh strengths lie in our superior tactical knowledge (giving us first strike in combat), speed of ship production, and drive technology. It was also determined that the majority of the survivors would be military officers, meaning that gunnery skills would be preserved. Finally, it was determined that the politics of the group must be universal: nothing else matters except the preservation of Abh culture.
The simulation began, as the Abh survivor fleet approached from the Galactic East. Finding a small planet with a human colony on the verge of achieving space flight, the Abh fleet immediately invaded, destroying the planet's primitive defenses and taking over the government, including the planet's space tower and starship production facility. The Imperial anthem "Frybar Gloer Gor Bari" was sung as the pennant of the New Abh Empire was raised over the world of Second Lakfakalle. A new dawn had begun for the Abh Empire.
It was also the beginning of a comedy of errors that strains imagination. To begin with, the simulation manager (the formidable Larth Debeus) failed to engage the recorder, meaning that no record of the simulation apart from my own report now exists: hours of data lost forever.
Secondly, it was soon discovered that the local population had developed a colony ship of their own, ready to colonize the second, smaller planet in their own star system. A delighted Larth Debeus ordered the colony ship to immediately convert its machinery to the development of a starbase in order to cement the Abh's military hold on the star system. It was not until the simulation had already carried this out that someone realized this essentially meant that a quarter of a billion colonists had just been jettisoned into space. Larth Debeus' reply: "Oops."
That misadventure aside, the initial development went as well as could be expected. Much deficit spending was required in order to fund the creation of research centers on the new homeworld: as our production facilities would be nowhere as efficient as those of our rivals, it was determined that we would need a severe technology advantage in order to compete. The minimum staff required would be diverted from research centers for social and military production as needed. The former colony ship was converted into a new starbase for the glorification of Abh culture (as well as a small shrine with 260,000,000 candles to memorialize those poor souls lost in the tragic accident several weeks ago).
It was determined that the longer range Abh colony ship would be utilized to establish mining colonies on asteroid fields further out. A small mining vessel (sov vekkekar) was developed to exploit the asteroid fields in-system. Although inelegant and primitive by Imperial standards, it nonetheless did the job it was required to do.
The scenario progressed as expected: first priority in research was given to advanced research facilities, and then to ship's weapons (lasers were prioritized as beam weapons were determined to be smaller than other weapon types on average), ship's drives, miniaturization, and cultural advancement. The original plan of utilizing starbases as a substitute for planets had to be abandoned: with our industry and ecomony crippled from our focus on technology, severe deficit spending meant that we were unable to purchase the construction ships needed to form effective starbases. In addition, resource mining was determined to be less than optimal: placement of resources meant that, in most cases, the Second Empire was losing the race to other, less advanced but more industrialized nations who could beuild starbases faster.
In addition, production had to be closed several times as all research was halted to raise funds to bring the government out of the gutter. Larth Debeus' policy was causing the Second Empire to falter severely, and it was decided that the Abh would have to return to a trade we had once pursued before we established the Empire: that of arms dealer. Contact was established with a race known as the Terran Alliance, and the Abh stood ready to sell off their advanced technology to the highest bidder in exchange for much needed liquid assets.
Unfortunately, Larth Debeus had forgotten that not everyone in the galaxy speaks Baronh, and first contact soon degenerated into two people babbling at the screens and waving their arms at each other vigorously. Research was immediately diverted from fertility technology (to improve the flagging birth rate), and within several days, our scientists had developed a device called the Universal Translator to solve this problem.
It was at about this point that Larth Debeus realized that the simulation parameters were flawed. Although the Second Empire had built influence starbases right on the doorstep of the Terran Alliance, the Alliance did nothing to resist them. Also, the scenario established allowed the Empire a nearly unlimited research pool as they researched and sold technology willy-nilly, much of which were totally useless to the purchasing race (for example, many bought technology for life support when the quadrant in question was so small that extended range starships would be useless). My objections were pointed out to Larth Debeus, who agreed that the simulation was flawed, and immediately handed over command to Hecto-Commander Spoor, who immedately proceeded to "have some fun" by building large numbers of Ponyu strike fighters (tiny hull, 2 class 5 lasers, impulse drive 3) and assault shuttles (small hull, advanced troop transport, no engine), and commence a campaign of assault and invasion throughout the sector.
The Altarian Resistance declared war several months later after the Second Empire had decimated the Earth fleet and captured several minor races. Several Terran and Altarian planets and mining colonies defected to the Empire shortly after. Some resistance in the form of Altarian Heavy Fighters was present, but by this point production had switched from research to industry, and we were producing larger Pelia-class Heavy fighters (5 laser V, 1 engine) which clearly outclassed Altarian vessels. Superior logistics meant that we could field upwards of 5 ships to their single fighters.
At this point in the simulation, the battle was already over. The Terran Alliance capital was blockaded by squadrons of our fighters, and other squadrons were on their way to blockade the Altarian worlds as well. Aside from an unfortunate incident in which a squadron of unarmed assault shuttles were accidentally ordered to engage a Terran Heavy Fighter, ship casualties were nonexistent. Two unarmed starbases were destroyed, but by that time all significant resistance had been sufficiently dealt with.
The results of this simulation are extremely flawed, but the lessons learned were invaluable.
1. Research-Heavy builds are only successful if deficit spending is carefully controlled.
2. A colony-less strategy must focus on space mining over starbases: the resource bonuses from mining asteroids is far more useful and less serendipitous than relying on space-based resources that may not be available.
3. Opposing races will pay quite a bit for certain technologies. Fertility enhancement and soil enhancement technologies went for quite a bit, as did Xeno Ethics. In many cases, we were able to sell other races useful technologies and reap the benefits when we later invaded and blockaded their worlds.
4. Don't jettison a quarter of a billion colonists into space.
The next simulation in the series will take place on a gigantic scale sector, rare stars, random planets and habitable planets. Asteroid resources will be set to abundant, anomalies will be set to random. Opposing races, including minor races, will also be set to random, as will technology speed. Finally, the enemy's intelligence will be improved so that the Frybar is not fighting against a race of complete imbeciles. Only when parameters such as these are established can a better assessment of Operation Tinker be determined.
Please look forward to my report then.
Frybar Gloer Gor Bari,
Hecto-Commander Plakia Lexshue.
P.S. Larth Debeus sends you his regards and hopes that you will come by soon to visit your granddaughter. Lafiel grows up smart and cheerful, with all of her father's energy and her mother's fine character. She is currently pestering Larth Debeus as to the identity of her genetic mother: that idiot (onyu) refuses to tell her on the grounds that it improves a child's character to have secrets kept from them. Sometimes I wonder about the wisdom of allowing that one to raise our child. . .
