[Suicide Junkie]

It has taken me far too long to get through this last year, but it is finally done.

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2406.0:
This year has been lean. 18 worlds have been been added to the Rebel Alliance, bringing the total to 133. With most planets already well developed, and more than 70 working on long term projects, our infrastructure investments are suffering from diminishing returns. Our current projects have been well justified, but all the same, alliance reserves have been reduced to 3.7M minerals, 1.7M organics and 4.1M radioactives. Military spending must be maintained to protect our citizens, and cancelling the long term projects would be an unacceptable waste. How will the budget be balanced then? We must continue to pursue high ROI projects with vigour, and avoid further long term commitments. Once a balanced budget is achieved through the new production facilities, we can begin approving the less lucrative, but still profitable, projects again.

In the north, the three ships which attacked Othello III last month have evaded our counterattack, and are heading for the Dussullet warppoint. Two more carriers are set to intercept them, with a third on its way. Additional cruisers continue to trickle in from Ovelli, and a carrier will be sent to intercept them when available.
The northern AI core world of Torren IV has gathered a significant fleet of 20 ships and carriers and continues to accumulate firepower. Invasion plans for this world have been postponed indefinitely.

In the southeast, only two ships will make the intercept point in time to catch the AI scout. An Honor and a Vigilance will be holding the warppoint, but the enemy design is known to be a direct fire warship, giving the Vigilance little to do but take potshots against the strong shielding. If the Honor fails to destroy the warship's shield generator early on, the Vigilance still has a chance of doing light damage to the enemy engines, and may draw some fire.
The fleet of 40 ships behind the scout in continuing on its way through Zyx, and is expected to enter Beliph next month. Our eastern fleet is burning hard for the Beliph-Ochre warppoint to cut them off, but it will be close.
120 other enemy ships are currently being tracked in the southeastern star cluster, but there is nothing we can do about them yet.

In the south, the 40 ship blockade of recently liberated Nibbrix IX continues unabated, but 30 additional ships have entered from the south. Whether they have come to drop additional troops on Nibbrix IX, or to attack our planets in Tudran is unknown.
The Rebel outpost in Bintrox has spotted two AI cruisers heading north towards Jorun, and a select group of seven crews have been selected from the training center to intercept them. For graduating ahead of their classes with top marks, four Honour crews, two Valor crews and a Vigilance crew have been selected to defend the Jorun warppoint. Enemy arrival is expected within two months.

2406.1:
With the arrival of reinforcements, all of the AI ships in Othello have been destroyed in skirmishes across the system. Fighter casualties were limited to seven pilots, but half the bridge officers aboard the lead carrier were lost when a heavy laser burned through its armor plating. Engineers are guiding the carrier to the nearest repair facility at half speed.
In the southeast, carriers have been dispatched to intercept a pair of scouts attempting to leave the star cluster via the Jorun warppoint. The battle expected early next month will be an easy victory, unlike the pending battle further north. The 38 AI ships have just entered Beliph and are only 11 sectors from entering the hub system of Ochre. Despite their best efforts, Beta fleet is only going to take a full two months to arrive at the warppoint, arriving on day 30. Our assets in the region consist of the 25 ships in Beta fleet, a pair of Independence carriers, and five additional ships that have been pulled from local shipyards. Engineers have confirmed that the damaged Honor (which held the warppoint against the enemy scoutship last month) will not be combat worthy until after the battle has been fought; the current estimate is two months to restore full propulsion and control.
Finally, in the far south system of Nibbrix, an additional 30 ships appear to be on their way to join the blockade of Nibbrix IX. Local defenders have been warned to prepare for potential troop drops behind their lines.

2406.2:
The battle in Nibbrix gas gone badly; while our tanks were held in reserve against the possibility of flanking drops, the actual assault was instead on the front lines. Casualties were extremely high as the AI shock troops deployed right in the middle of our light infantry. Fifty surviving units are now in full retreat, purused by over 700 AI units and vehicles; the local space yard and resupply depot are well fortified, but it is now only a matter of time before the defenders are overrun. At least they won't run out of ammo.

Things have gone better elsewhere. In the southeast, crisis has been averted; the fleet of 40 has turned back, presumably for resupply. Another 30 ships are scattered in the corridor, and may present a challenge. Beta fleet is ordered to hold the corridor until the next wave of trained ships from Centrolius arrive in five months time. The untrained local ships are all being sent on to Centrolius.

In Jorun, only one AI ship attempted to run the blockade. The initial volleys from our trainees disabled its main weapon; an 80mm plasma cannon. Although it still had an array of 60mm DU Cannons, the Honor crews protected each other well; only one of the Honor class shi ps sustained more than a single hit during the battle. The second hit penetrated the ship's shielding and left a significant dent in the armor, but the chief engineer had that problem fixed in only a few hours.

In the northern AI core system of Torren, one of our Independence carriers was intercepted by a fleet of two carriers and a heavy cruiser shortly after jumping in. Although all of our fighters were lost, they held back the AI forces for almost 20 minutes. While the enemy fighters were distracted by the new Viper class dogfighters, one of the bomber groups managed to break through and attack the enemy carriers directly. Heavy damage was inflicted on the warship and one of the carriers, while the other suffered light damage. With the enemy forces crippled, the Independence was able to escape with no damage, and outrun the pursuing ships. The Independence is planning a slingshot past the AI core world on its way to the Dussullet warppoint, where it will be restocked.

2406.3:
There were only a few victories this month. Two AI cruisers attacked the Jorun defense line, and were both destroyed. One of the defending Honor frigates suffered minor damage; a cracked armor plate and a damaged engine. Although she can still make full speed on auxiliary power, the ship is being sent back to the yard and will be replaced by a newly graduated ship and crew.
A carrier attack in the northern system of Xuberra has reduced the local defense to only 60 fighters. Two more carriers are being requisitioned from the south to deliver more.
Finances are looking up this month; fifty new resource facilities have come on line recently, and the monthly defecit is down to 20k.

2406.4:
Emergency reports have come in from Torren and Othello; a pack of 13 cruisers has left orbit of the core world and is heading for Dussullet, while a battlefleet of 23 has entered Othello and is threatening the Othello III repair yards.
The independence carrier guarding the Dussullet-Torren warppoint has been ordered to retreat to the colonies until additional forces can be gathered.
At Othello III, the single carrier has left its bombers to help defend the colony, and is now making best speed for Dussullet.
In the southeast, the 28 AI ships have entered Zyx and are now two jumps away from Beta fleet and the Alliance interior. The reinforcements heading south from Centrolius will be cutting their arrival very close.

2406.5:
Most of the AI forces heading for our colonies have stopped their advances unexpectedly. The cruisers in Torren have halted just short of the Dussullet warppoint, possibly for reinforcements entering from the north. Further north, the AI fleet in Othello has vanished from our sensors, and we can only presume that they returned to Ovelli. In the southeast, most of the second fleet has turned back, leaving only a carrier and four cruisers to continue. Beta fleet has been ordered to intercept the remaining ships while they are outnumbered and vulnerable.
Fighting continues on Nibbrix IX, with our defenders down to less than half of their original tank force. There are simply too many AI troops and not enough guns.
The alliance budget has achieved a small surplus of organics for the first time in years, and although there is still a monthly defecit of 35k rads, we have 3.9 million in the treasury so it is of little concern.

In the south, a heavy AI carrier is advancing on Jorun. While it should not be a threat, we have not yet faced such a large carrier in combat. The elite ships will be joined at the warppoint by the full Alpha fleet for training in fleet manoeuvers, bringing the total to over 60 warships plus support ships.

2406.6:
The AIs are back! The fleet of 23 is facing down Othello III again this month, with a pair of cruisers heading for Othello V. The two cruisers should not be a threat, as the orbital defense network has been fully repaired since the last assault by a carrier.
In the recently liberated system of Xuberra, just south of Torren, our warppoint defenses were breached. One of the new heavy carriers jumped through just before our shipment of replacement fighters was due to arrive, and both of our carriers defending the warppoint were overrun. Although they held the line against two waves, and managed to deliver 40% damage to the enemy carrier, both Independences were destroyed. Only two carriers remain operational in the system, one of which has been assigned to guard the warppoint, and the other is chasing down the enemy ships that slipped through while the warppoint was unguarded. A third is being dispatched from Auric to intercept the damaged heavy carrier, and provide support if it can.
Fighter production in Auric has been stepped up, with a not insignificant impact on the budget.
Better news comes from the east, where a class of 17 new warships have been graduated from the training center in Cephedri. They are heading south to reinforce Beta fleet.

2406.7:
AI forces have attacked Othello III! Despite a valiant effort by the three system defense carriers and the planetary militia, our defenders were wiped out. Half of the AI carriers were destroyed in the battle, along with four warships. Five additional AI warships suffered moderate damage, leaving ten ships and two carriers which have taken up blockade positions around the colony.
In the south, the heavy carrier has turned back from Jorun, but new threats are presenting themselves; three fleets of AI ships and carriers are heading for Jorun through the southeast cluster. The 60 current graduates from Jorun have all been gathered into Alpha fleet, and are heading east to cut them off. All available carriers are being mobilized as well. Where possible, our forces will be striking subfleets and then immediately falling back to regroup.

2406.8:
Twelve AI ships remain in orbit of Othello III, enforcing the blockade, but five of the damaged ships have broken off and are retreating. Thankfully, no ground forces have appeared so far.
Othello V remains untouched; the network of defense satellites has dissuaded attack. Plans to duplicate the system at Othello III once the blockade has been broken have been met with enthusiastic support.
The AI forces which broke through Xuberra in the north have made the jump into Auric just ahead of our pursuing force. We expect the final showdown with them early next month.

In the southeast, a successful early raid by the Fizbon carrier group has destroyed six cruisers and two carriers. Casualties include one hundred fighters, but most of the raiding force escaped. These losses have reduced the enemy force to fifty-two ships and carriers.

Down in Nibbrix, our defenders are getting desperate. Only three tanks remain operational, and the AI troops have completely surrounded the shipyard and resupply depot. Unfortunately the AI force in orbit is now 80 ships, and completely unassailable.

For some good news, sixteen ships have graduated from the northern training center of Centrolius this month, and an additional 26 from Jorun. The new recruits will be joining Beta and Alpha fleets respectively, and should give us the edge we need.
As well, the economy has begun an upswing with the completion of new industrial regions in our northeastern systems; construction projects are in full swing and the defecit has been reduced to 20k radioactives.

2406.9:
The two independence carriers we sent to intercept the enemy entering Auric were both destroyed this month in a two week running battle. Initial reports indicate a new type of super-effective fighter was deployed in the battle, but a full analysis is still pending.
The AI heavy carrier was last seen heading back to the north where it intercepted and destroyed an untrained Honor class frigate. An AI warship is now heading through Auric to the system of Telome, home to one of the three founding planets of the alliance. It is unknown what a lone warship can do, but a carrier is being scrambled to intercept it before it can reach any of our planets.

The AI ships entering Dussullet have turned north to enter Othello and are expected to reinforce the blockade.
We will have to commit some very significant force to the north in order to contain this wave of ships, but our main fleets are already committed in the southeast, and we have none to spare.

Our previous attack has disrupted the invasion force in the southeast, and the AI flotilla has dispersed somewhat. 16 enemy ships have entered Dornot, and are being stared down by Alpha fleet, but there are 30 more just on the other side of the warppoint in Fizbon. Alpha fleet is moving to intercept them, hopefully before they can regroup.