The Void - Tick 36 - Cycle 1

More empires on the horizon and the first small decisions.

My North

I've opted to stop expanding NW. Racing that way with my Explorer risks getting it in trouble and I don't like the idea of squeezing myself into a narrow band of stars between two empires. The Explorer is racing back home to pick up ships on my capital to deploy wherever I need them.

My West

I've reached out to C++ here but no reply yet. I have a decision to make next turn. I'm going to kill his inbound carrier on Amenhotep and I'll also need turn have my own black hole to see what's going on. I can then choose to grab the black hole giving me good visibility and denying him it. It's something I'm considering depending on a) if/how he replies and b) what I see with that black hole next turn

My South

There are some big hyperspace leaps down there that make it a nice natural border. I've added another Explorer to grab the black hole/nebula/binary to the south. That might help me establish a bridgehead if needed and will give me good visibility on whatever threats are down there. 

This Explorer will immediately drop ships on the treble star and then race back north to meet up with a carrier carrying 31 ships. I want it ready to race west if I do kick off a border spat with C++

I am wondering whether I have a map edge border to the south/east. The answer is probably not but the longer I go without encountering anyone the more I'll think it's a possibility.