Vespae VI - Tick 48, Cycle 2

 The second cycle has now ended and I'm in good shape.

Activity

• Inerz is AFK
• Bubblegum has missed 2 turns.

Strategic

• Expansion has gone really well as shown by my star lead. My aim is to upgrade Industry/Science minimally and deliberately this cycle and start to build an economic edge. I need to get Scanning 2 early enough to trade with Innoble and enable further trades. I also want to start building up some eastern front ships but perhaps just a couple of well placed industry.
• Key to strategy over the next cycle is what happens next with Bubblegum. I'm going to hold off on submitting my tun until late this next turn. If Bubblegum doesn't place a turn I'm going to grab his end of the wormhole. If he does then I won't.

Diplomatic

• Diplomatic failures have been the lack of trades in Cycle 2. Inerz going AFK I couldn't do anything about but I should have pivoted sooner to a tech trade arrangement with Bubblegum. I didn't do this because I expected to trade with CRISPR but he spent his money on economy presumably, which I think is irrational considering I was going to trade him banking. 
• In an alliance with Innoble and Vik Ia, this feels O.P to me if we all actually worked as a team and coordinated against everyone else, but I think it's loosely held together in reality. Vik Ia and I don't have a path to trade right now and Innoble is hedging with a NAP with LimitingFactor. An alliance with Innoble is my preferred path forward but we'll see what happens.
• I've let Cypher know that in the event of Bubblegum not returning I'm seizing the north end of the wormhole. Same for Vik Ia, I don't want to scrap over this territory, I just want the wormhole

Tactical

• I took another look at what Bubblegum was doing on his side of the wormhole. Just 3 ships there now, even less than before. Same holds that I have the capability to punch through and start causing chaos but it doesn't feel right if he is active, the logical and obvious expansion is capture the remaining loose and free stars in the South East and then take over some of Inerz stars. If he is inactive, I intend to grab the other end of the wormhole.
• I don't feel in any real immediate danger right now, which should allow me to pivot to any new threats that emerge in the coming cycle. Inerz is AFK, Bubblegum doesn't have ships on his end ofthe wormhole and I don't see signs of a determined CRISPR attack fleet.
• After the next turn I'll have the option to launch an attack on Inerz to my NW. I'm moving 30 ships into position to give me the decision flexibility.