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I am going to have my Torgal be a researching race, so that I can try out the strategy put forth by another on this forum *

"WE MUST RISE!" The Torgalian Commandant cried out. "We look up and see darkness where there should be light. We look down and see darkness where there should be light. We look inside our own heads and see darkness. For us to rise we must bring light to the above, the below, and the inside. We will make buildings and study in them! Go, do my bidding! GO!"

The commandant sank into his seat an hour later and listened to his advisors. He then dismissed them all but one that he called Thinker, a smart one to say the least.

"What we to do if this fails Thinker? Where we go if you fail? You die, we live, but how long so?"

Thinker paused for a moment, thinking about just what Than'Al was saying. "We no fail commandant. We live, go up, down, inside, give light to all."

Than'Al seemed content with this and dismissed him as well. Their home planet Urlg had never really done anything before. Thinker was a sly one though and had convinced Than'Al that research was the way to salvation, to light. So, going without hesitation, Than'Al had ordered all production on their only planet to focus entirely on research.

They quickly learned several things, almost simultaneously.

They learned about the concept of engineering, and from that. several years later, the secrets of the Hyperdrive and were beginning to think about other types of propulsion.

Concurrently with this research, they figured that it was impossible that the Torgal are the only ones in the universe, and created a means of univeral communication, a translator.

After the discovery of the universal translator, all research ceased to bear fruit.

It is now the beginning of the year, and Thinker comes in with his report to Than'Al.

"All well commandant!" He says this with a great smile on his face. "We learn soon, I know; and we learn fast if you approve..." He says this last word while holding out a constuction proposal.

"Now we make Think building. We buy one Think building and learn making faster. Cost 342 Big Croz. Location is enhancing to thinking."

"Do approve Commandant?" Thinker asks timidly.

"Yesh, approve." Than'Al says slowly, unsure of what road they are now traveling upon, but also trusting that Thinker is right about this.

Several days pass and the workers of Urlg produce a Think building that can be used at the start of the next week.

In the process, Thinker and his team were hard at work, learning more and more.

At the beginning of the next week Thinker burst into Than'Al's chambers exclaiming "We learn! We think! We do! Big Think building learned, can build if approve?"

"No Thinker, we see Think buildings now, see them work, then build big Think building if work." Than'Al didn't want to disappoint Thinker, but needed to know if this was going to work before subjecting his people to any more of Thinker's ideas.

"Okay, we learn up next!" Thinker then runs off to get working on his new idea. The stars are his conquest, he looks through his lenses at them trying to map them.

Several weeks pass before Than'Al sees Thinker again.

Thinker bursts again into Than'Al's chambers. This time with a scroll, a rather large scroll. On it is a map of all of the local stars. Also on the map are the various planets of the systems.

It showed that there was another planet in the Urlg celestial system that could hold life.

"What this? Send us there!" Than'Al was impressed by Thinker on this one, and decided to go with him in his recommendation to continue on this route of thinking, making their next objective increased sensor range.

Than'Al also wanted the Torgal to explore this new planet, and ordered his engineers to create a ship to transport them there.

His engineers promptly returned a message saying that they were given this same order, just in case, by Thinker about a year before.

Not thinking at the time that it is odd for Thinker to be so....forward, by overstepping his researching boundaries, Than'Al commanded that ship to be fully stocked with citizens and sent to this new planet.

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I have to stop this for now, sleep calls!

GalenEvil