The DENIS system looks to be a bit tricky – it has a Raid Eye standing sentinel over the local Data Center. Presumably the Data Center records anything the Raid Eye sees? I hate automated survellence systems, and I'm pretty sure this one is not for my own protection.
My fleets have their orders. My main force will proceed to Setrve along with a colony ship, engineer, mobile builder, and remains rebuilder so when I dispose of the command center I can set up a warp jammer and pretend nothing happened. Meanwhile my raiding unit will hit DENIS and remove the military-industrial security state there.
Both task forces have been packed into transports and are ready to go.
The two striketeams travel together for an entire second before breaking off in different directions.
Wait, what?
DO YOU ROBOTS NOT SEE THE WARP JAMMER?! As you can see this system is quite clearly under AI control. Nothing to see here, move along. And tell the sniper guardian to stop shooting at the...sigh.
By unloading my entire transport full of raiding ships at once, I can drain the AI's warp grid! After all, we all know how high the price for energy is these days. My plan is flawless!
The Setrve op has run into a problem. Apparently the transport carrying the construction ships went pop before it could make the jump. Right in range of two MKIV MLRS Guard Posts.
The only survivor was the remains rebuilder. How very helpful.
But hey, AIP is all the way down to 30 now! It's as if I have only popped a single command station. If 10 is "The humans don't exist the AI has already won the war", then would 30 be "There are ants crawling around my house, how annoying"?
In retaliation for the death of my construction ships my fleetball lashes out at the MKIII force field protecting one of the guard posts, while ignoring the guard post that doesn't have a force field protecting it.
The Geminorum warp jammer is now a smouldering ruin. But all the attackers are dead courtesy of the sniper turrets and hey the remains rebuilder is still alive!
Yeah nice try robots.
Erm, wow. I seriously lost that many ships attacking the force field? How big is a Reprisal Level 3 wave compared to a normal one?
Well, it's almost dead, might as well finish the job.
And we just lost the last few space tanks and one of the MKI Bomber Starships. The only fleetships remaining are the MLRSs. With the fodder gone I cannot put my MKIII starships at risk. That blasted guard post will have to wait. I'm ordering a strategic withdraw. All units, assume formation and proceed to Iota Pegasi as a group.
Looks like the AI Special Forces has set up an ambush at Iota Pegasi, consisting mostly of riot starships and beam guardians. Glad to see the enemy forces aren't equipped for task for once. All ships, maintain formation and otherwise fire at will. With all our combined firepower, we'll stand a better chance together.
(also what's with the AI special forces and its obsession with Riot Starships?)
And so the fleet lives to fight another day.
...oh joy. This is a large wave even by my current standards. For AIP 30 this is a monster.