It looked like something that would give even a demon nightmares. Sunlight glistened on the scales of its exoskeleton and the sharp spikes on its reinforced armor looked sharp enough to penetrated even the Tckon Imperial Powered Assault Armor of the palace guards that surrounded it. The massive claws clicked and clacked as the creature scurried around the courtyard. Emperor Locklyn of the Genesian Gremloid Technocracy looked with both awe and trepidation upon the latest creation of his Species Engineering Corps and with some hesitation bestowed a slight questioning smile upon his Master Scientist Dr Alkad Mzu and asked “So this is what 7 generations of Species Engineering has come to?”

Mzu being totally oblivious to his Emperors less than positive reaction answered happily” Ah yes Sire, we have come far from the days when we Gremloids could barely exist on our own homeworld, when we were treated as food by other carnivious races and could barely fight our way out of a paper bag. Now we have evolved, through the help of our SEC to a species that can fight anything and live on any planet. It is simply an ultimate creature! Gone are the days when you needed 10 to 20 Gremloid soldiers to fight a normal human, no insult intended of course to our close allies the Builders Of Brotherhood but now, it would take twenty humans to best one Gremloid!” Mzu was almost drooling and the Emperor pretended not to notice as he asked “ I have to ask though Doctor, I can see the need for the enhanced strength, speed and mobility, even the armor but all these sharp spikes, I fear they may lower the birth rate and raise the accidental death rate quite severely” Mzu interrupted “No fear Sire, the spikes are there to make us much less edible, no one will want to chew on a Gremloid anymore! And they are retractable so there shouldn’t be any problems with the birthrate Sire”

“Good then Doctor, but I can’t help to notice that there seems to be some sort of mount grown into the shell of the exoskeleton armor?” Mzu smiled “Ah yes Sire, your Majesty has sharp eyes indeed, that is the mount for the Enforcer Pulse Cannon that we decided to genetically breed into the form of the Exo Skeleton shell, it can also serve as a mount for other heavy or light weapons!” Emperor Locklyn patted the jubilant Doctor Mzu on his shell lightly…”And pray tell dear Doctor, what use will the civilian part of our population have for use for this mount?”

Doctor Mzu looked puzzled for a moment but then brightened with a big smile

“Perhaps a good place to put the holovid remote Sire?”

One has to wonder whether Master Scientist Mzu or any of the GGT's Species Engineering Corps have investigated the reaction of these newly enhanced gremloids to the hard vacuum of deep space. When their ships are torn asunder, will gremloid innards boil? Will they retain the crunchy exoskeleton and a soft chewy center or do they simply go <POP>? Perhaps the spikes can be used as handles, the better to eat them with. All interesting concepts. Concepts that shall be examined in the not too distant future I would imagine. Stay tuned for the exciting reports.

Shall I take that as a threat master jodookus? As far I know I've yet to encounter you in space nor to have blown you out of it...

But seeing from your comments of late it would seem your empire has a grudge against mine?

/Locklyn

So warmonger Locklyn has a voice does he? What with your seventh generation species enhanced gremloids and the vast array of mighty starships how could the Jodookians ever present you with a threat?

Never-the-less time will tell won't it?

the two of you will probably never meet......the distances involved make it almost impossible , according to Russ / Pete....nevertheless , what never should be , could be....stay tuned

Warmonger?

The only race I've attacked first was the Hellenic League and that was purely preemptive as they were hoarding amounts of MDDs and had collaboration with the Pirate MMB. All others have either been stupid enough to attack me first, ignored all communications leading one to believe them to be drops or actually being drops.

Too many of the Old Races have ignored Ground Combat Techs and seeing to their capacity to do ground combat. I am not one of them.

Of course you could be a threat, that is for you to know and for me to find out right? No matter the amount of ships, fleets or troops...I never ever underestimate the leaders behind them all...



/Locklyn

I now understand and it's a comfort. You launched a preemptive strike against the Hellenes to prevent additional aggression. And it was only once and this was done for the right reasons which are to prevent piratical/terroristic aggression from spreading throughout the region. Let's review :
1) This was a preemptive shock and awe campaign
2) The Hellenes were hoarding weapons of mass destruction
3) The Hellenes were collaborating with a rogue terrorist state
4) The Hellenic people will welcome you with open arms as you liberate them
5) You species engineers have provided a technological surge to your ground combat forces for the occupation. Oops, I mean liberation.

At least you didn't claim that they're harboring a tall bearded humanoid dressed in robes. That would have been a bit over the top wouldn't it Emperor George, oops, I mean Emperor Locklyn.

...ahhhh.....no wonder he is not being found....he has fled the planet .

Is it absolutely necessary to bring R/L political commentary into the game? I've always been under the impression that hobby pursuits were meant to be, in part, an escape from day to day concerns.

Breoghan, my post did use certain terms that are, or recently have been popular in the vernacular but that is how my thought process has been shaped. Four of the five points are the justification that Locklyn provided in this post to rationalize his aggression on the Hellene's. The other point was the subtitle of another Locklyn post – Hellenic Warp Points Fall: Liberating the Hellenic people.

I'm siding with Breoghan here. Is it really necessary?

It is a slippery slope and I hope we don't go down it. Some would not be able to resist responding and it would quickly get ugly.

Octus