Use of Weapons
Dedicated to the memory of Iain M Banks 1954-2013
A great mind, greatly missed
Dedicated to the memory of Iain M Banks 1954-2013
A great mind, greatly missed
There are some races who fight to dominate, and others who fight to defend their way of life. Some fight because they think diplomacy is only for the weak, while others fight only when all other avenues have been tried and have failed. The Zhun-Khirs did not fight for any of these reasons. They mainly just fought because they thought fighting was fun.
Zhun-Khirs history was of course filled to overflowing with fun-filled wars between the various nation-states and empires which had risen and fallen over the millennia. The heroes of the past were invariably great generals and admirals, conquerors and freedom fighters, those who had lived by the sword and, invariably, died by the sword. But now the Zhun-Khirs faced a grave problem. Somehow, their race had become inexplicably united into one single state, the Zhun-Khirs League. The last dissenting voices had been silenced, sent to an early grave, and all was peace and harmony. Who were they supposed to fight now?
Fortunately, at about the same time as this near-miraculous development, Zhun-Khirs scientists had unlocked the secret of faster-than-light space travel. Suddenly the distant dream of travelling to the stars had become a reality. There were perhaps no enemies left on their home planet of Ram-Dakhm, but surely the Zhun-Khirs would be able to find some out among the stars?
Commissary-General Nerka Ukaq had shuttled up to Ram-Dakhm Spaceport for the historic departure of the fleet on their first missions. Admiral Toki Ikaaq was waiting for him by the access ramp of his flagship, the corvette ZLS Ask Questions Later.
Commissary-Genera Nerka Ukaq: Well Admiral, this is a proud day for our planet. The stars await! Feeling a little nervous?
Admiral Toki Ikaaq: Not a bit, sir. On the contrary, I'm raring to go! Our three mighty ships will make mincemeat of our foes!
Nerka Ukaq: Ahem, yes... Admiral, have you considered the possibility that there may not actually be any foes out there? Scientists are divided on the issue. According to some, we may be alone in the galaxy.
Toki Ikaaq: I trust not, sir. I am travelling to the stars to find out, and believe me sir, I intend to find some other lifeforms out there to fight with or I'll die trying!
Nerka Ukaq: Excellent, Admiral. That's the spirit!
Toki Ikaaq: Thank you, sir!
Nerka Ukaq: Now get out there and kick some hyperlane butt!
Toki Ikaaq: Yes sir!
There was no lack of possibilities for the exploration of the stars.
What wonders or horrors the ships might encounter in their travels, no one knew. But every Zhun-Khirs on the planet was hoping that, whatever adventures befell them, sooner or later it would involve the use of weapons.
So here it is, my next AAR. The setup is pretty much random, the way I like to do it. I've got myself a bunch of fanatic militarists, which ought to be lots of fun, since, let's face it, fighting is probably the best bit of the game. My goals are simple – just have fun and go with the flow. I suppose I'm aiming for Domination Victory, but I also want to focus on my military leaders, and keep a note of all their victories and defeats. Pride of place will go to those who manage to kick the most alien butt!
One or two other things in the setup that haven't been mentioned yet. I'm starting off with kinetic weapons (i.e. mass drivers) which I don't actually remember having as starters before. For those (like me) less familiar with the icons the Zhun-Khirs are Egalitarian, Fanatic Militarists, and their other traits are: Desert Preference, Solitary, Nonadaptive, Conservationist, Enduring, Very Strong. My civics are “Efficient Bureaucracy”, which gives an extra 2 core systems (phew – I wasn't too chuffed at finding the limit was down to 3 in Banks!) and “Shadow Council” which may also come in handy. I'm glad to see the Zhun-Khirs don't actually have a real democracy – that would seem a bit out of character for them.
And finally, I should also say a word about the dedication at the top. Iain M Banks is far and away my favourite sci-fi author. If you haven't read any of his books, why on earth not? His imagination is incredible. “Use of Weapons” is one of his books – I hope the use of the title for this AAR doesn't count as plagiarism, but given the ethics of the Zhun-Khirs I couldn't resist it. Banks also wrote some fantastic non sci-fi books, which I would also recommend. Tragically he died of cancer four years ago. As a tribute, for the Zhun-Khirs ships I will attempt to imitate the witty, bizarre and tongue-in-cheek ship names which pepper the pages of his sci-fi novels.
Iain M Banks
Last edited: