Horatio Faction Quest

## Chapter 1: A Surfeit of Horatios

### Description

*The three of us stood around that table, a spectacle for all Horatio to consume. Gorgeous, brilliant, and indistinguishable. The guards and attendants had one question only: Who was the original?*

*I claimed to be, of course; every bit as beautiful and as smart as either of the other two. That had to be the case, for we were the most perfect copies-biological, psychological, developmental--that the most advanced cloning science of the galaxy could make. No scientific test existed that could tell us apart; each one of the three of us a microcosm of Horatio perfection. Yet only one was the real Horatio, Horatio Prime.*

*I wondered what parents had brought that Horatio up, had developed that magnificent brain into what it was. And I wondered how Horatio managed to imprint that upbringing as if it was a technical issue, like replicating DNA. Can a thing from a test tube have daddy issues?*

*We aligned ourselves with each other, Five and I, determined to avoid the fate of One, Two, and Three.. They had died in the lab, once Horatio Prime realized what we were thinking. Subtly we knew who was who, and he gave me his support when I claimed to be Horatio, the Original, Horatio Prime, the Light. And so I was crowned emperor, he gorgeous leader of a gorgeous empire. And Prime was put in chains.*

*But I know Five as well as he knows me--or Horatio himself. The minute he is out of my sight, he will scheme against me.*

*As I, of course, will scheme against him.*

*And as Horatio will scheme against both of us.*

*Clones. They're soooo predictable.*

### Choose an Objective

 **MULTIPLY**
*To consolidate your power, you need to find Five, your brother clone. You know h is out there in the constellation, somewhere, pretending to be you and fomenting rebellion. Because that is what you would do. To defy him, you must fill the constellation with Horatio--your Horatio.*

**Goal:** Increase the Horatio Population to 12.

**Reward:** Crafted Nutrition Plant

* Unique Improvement: +4  Food on Original Empire Population.

 Next quest: #Chapter 2: Adulation (A - Ecologist)

 **LUXURY**
*So Prime and Five think they can seduce and corrupt my subjects? Let them try. I have the force and power of an empire at my disposal, and I know very well what my citizens desire--for it is identical to what I desire...*

**Goal:** Reach **87** total luxury stock.

**Reward:** Cultural Apogee Center

* Unique Improvement: +2  Influence on Original Empire Population.

 Next quest: #Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (B - Religious)

 **POWER**
*Prime must be desperate--I have heard that he is resorting to piracy! Whatever fleet he builds, I must be ready for it. For even if he is not subtle, he is as brilliant as I am.*

**Goal:** Build at least **5** ships of at least **59-100** Defensive Power.

**Reward:** Artisanal Excellence Museum

* Unique Improvement: +4  Industry on Original Empire Population

 Next quest: #Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (C - Industrialist)

Quest Completion
"Look upon me, Prime! Look upon me and worry about your future. Or leave your worry behind and simply surrender; I swear that I shall treat you with all the tenderness that you treated me..."

*Luxury* is the fastest possible route to take to complete this quest without altering your strategy. If you build a second Explorer ship and begin exploring curiosities, you should earn 40 in very short time. However, this objective can be quickly completed with a single explorer as well, as long as it does not get destroyed in a battle. Consider sending your starting Hero as a fleet captain for the first dozen turns to earn quick XP, but you should transition him into a governor afterwards. The Influence Improvement is a very strong quest reward, so *Luxury* is also an excellent choice.
The reward improvements all cost the same (1560  Industry) and will take a considerable amount of time to construct. So the quest reward is not an early-game priority, but completing the next quest is. *Multiply* is might be the weakest choice because food is the easiest resource to generate with Horatio's standard playstyle and takes longer to unlock than *Luxury*, but its effects on the rest of the quest are unexplored.

## Chapter 2: Adulation (A - Ecologist)

 **Ecologist**
*The Horatio must grow in numbers and in adulation. I need more systems, and more worship.*

**Goal:** Own the System (Generated by Quest) and raise it's Approval rate to 50.

**Reward:** Hero - "Five"

* Level 5 Horatio Hero, Militarist Guardian, Starting skills: +1 Probe on ship and +15 Science on System

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (A/B - Ecologist/Religious)

Having an extra hero at this stage of the game isn't too bad, it would have been better if it were a Seeker but at least you can give him both levels of Optimal Operations Expert and Clone Wares and start pumping out some more Horatio population.

## Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (B - Religious)

 **Ecologist**
*I need allies I can trust; allies beyond the seductions of my imitators. Systems must be in the hands of strong and loyal subjects if they are to help me in weeding out these dissenting clones and madmen.*

**Goal:** In your empire, assign 2 level 9 Heroes as Governors.

**Reward:** Hero - "Five"

* Level 5 Horatio Hero, Militarist Guardian, Starting skills: +1 Probe on ship and +15 Science on System

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (A/B - Ecologist/Religious)

## Chapter 2: The Galaxy Will Be My Selfie (C - Industrialist)

*I could never have guessed how good it feels to be Emperor. If I am having a bad day, I simply stand on the balcony and let the throngs cheer at me. There is nothing more fulfilling that the sound of mindless adulation.*

*Prime was correct; in spit e of his flaws I see that now. To cover the galaxy with Horatio--with \*me\*--is a destiny that both I and the galaxy well deserve. The planets remade into Horatio Prime, the peoples absorbed and adapted, beautified and perfected until they resemble me. It is a glorious future I give them.*

*The only hitch, however are Five and Prime. They must be found, and then... Destroyed? Ruined? Imprisoned? I will have to decide. But the thought of my enemies kneeling in chains before me almost makes me giddy. Their pleas for mercy may even be more agreeable to my ears than the affection of the throngs. I cannot wait to find out.*

 **Industrialist**
*You arm yourself, Prime. As if somehow it was you, not I, who was the leader of this gorgeous empire. Has the loss of your throne driven you mad, or do you fight me out of desperation?*

**Goal:** In your empire, assign 2 level 9 Heroes as Governors.

**Reward:** Museum of Manual Efforts

* Empire Improvement: +25  Industry on Systems

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (C - Industrialist)

#### Quest Completion

*Horatio, my creator. My hero. My enemy. You are mine, now. You kneel before me. And I cannot decide what to do with your gorgeous head. You were my idol, my god, until I saw what you did to One, Two, and Three. I will not share their fate, though you may share theirs. The power you once held is now mine.*

These Uncivil Horatio fleets, if left alone, will randomly patrol near your systems and attack your own fleets, but will not invade Systems.

## Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (A/B - Ecologist/Religious)

I have ended the dream of Five. This is no simple feat, to thwart another being as brilliant and beautiful as I am. Did he really think he could hide from me, much less seize my power? For all that we are identical, he is clearly inferior. Inevitably, my superior guile triumphed; at least and at last he has finally learned his lesson.

Now that these moments of disagreement are finally settled, I can concentrate on what matters: Prime's visionary plan to beautify the galaxy. Imagine the glory of a thousand planets that look like Prime, and a trillion citizens who look like me.

Any sane person would shudder with joy at the thought.

### Choose an Objective

 **ECOLOGY**
*This grim, gray galaxy needs some improvement. In order to make the planets as beautiful as their future Horatio inhabitants, we must increase the Ecological party in the Senate.*

**Goal:** Have *[x]* active Ecologist laws in your Senate.

**Reward:** Random Technology

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 2: A Fly in the Ointment (A - Ecologist)

 **POWER**
*I must project the power and the perfection of Horatio, and this will require Influence. Peoples large and small must all see the wonder of Horatio, and learn to bow before it.*

**Goal:** Reach *[x]* Influence per Turn in your Empire.

**Reward:** Random Technology

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (B - Religious)

 **GLORY**
*Ambition is important, but I must have the means to apply it. The systems under my rule need to thrive and grow until they can unleash their populations; only then can I begin the arduous, holy task of Horatification.*

**Goal:** Own *[x]* Systems of Level 3

**Reward:** Random Technology

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (C - Industrialist)

## Chapter 3 - Part 1: There Can Be Only One Trillion (C - Industrialist)

### Description

*Alas for Five; his talent was insufficient for his ambition. How sad to see one so beautiful fall so quickly; I suppose an analogy to cherry blossoms might be appropriate. But I am feeling charged with power and energy, not sentiment and frailty.*

*Five has been brought down! That is all that needs to be said. Like Prime before him, those who dare to challenge the most capable of all Horatios are destined to fail.*

*Now we shall turn our efforts to a more important thing: The glorious vision unveiled by Prime that seems so very fitting for this ugly gray universe. We shall cover it with the beauty of Horatio planets, Horatio architecture, and Horatio citizens; the gods themselves will look down upon the empire we create and become jealous.*

### Choose an Objective

 **POWER**
*First we will impose our social and political influence on the mindless rabble of the galaxy. They are disunited and misdirected, but a look at our beauty should serve to give them cause to wonder. And worship.*

**Goal:** Reach *[x]* Influence per Turn in your Empire. [Variant]

**Reward:** Random Technology

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (B - Religious)

 **GLORY**
*Ambition is important, but insufficient (as Five learned). We must have the means to apply it. The systems under our rule need to thrive and grow until they can unleash their populations; onl then can we begin the arduous, holy task of Horatification.*

**Goal:** Own 3 Systems of Level 3

**Reward:** Random Technology

 Next quest: #Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (C - Industrialist)

## Chapter 3 - Part 2: A Fly in the Ointment (A - Ecologist)

The plan moves forward. I have the political support I need, and would even now be singing my own praises were it not for one thing. One awful, enormous thing.
Rumor has reached my ears that another perfect clone lurks out in the galaxy. Somewhere. Did Five make a clone of himself? Is the Hero who slaves for me not the true Five, but merely a copy? Did Prime hide other of our siblings elsewhere?
I suspect that this subtlety is beyond Five. I must assume it was Prime; perhaps his hand reaches out from the grave to flick the switches in some as-yet-undiscovered laboratory. He would dare, Prime. As would I, in his place.
This den of imitations must be found and utterly ruined. No border, no barrier, no distance is too great or too challenging. The root of this plague must be discovered, and eliminated like the virus it is.

 **Uncover**
*The siren call of Dust--and its great power--will aid me in finding whatever is at the bottom of this. Whether I must use it to bribe, buy, or bewitch, I will find out who or what this imposter is.*

**Goal:** Search the Curiosity on the *[x]* planet when you're ready to sacrifice *[x]*  Dust.

**Reward:** System Improvement: Nanocuisine Plant

* Unique Improvement: +2  Influence on Original Empire Population.

## Final Chapter: Horatification (A - Ecologist)

I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance.

I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us.

This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by such a limited pronoun as "I".

So we look ahead to the success of our vision: We will remake the galaxy in our image; we will turn the heavens themselves into mirrors of our perfection.
And as we execute our master plan, there is one more thing that we will execute: Horatio Prime.

Or, as he has been calling himself, Five. Under my very nose he has hatched his plot; blinded by trust I allowed him to pull the strings of his web and shake the distant leaves that distracted me. But these distractions are over. We will no longer fall for his tricks, but will draw him in. For as we continue the Horatification his eyes will be on the success of the program. he will never see his own death approaching.

 **Beautify**
*As the Horatio population teems with beauty and genius, let the planets of our galaxy teem with life. The more species there are that gaze upon us, the greater the appreciation of our beauty shall be.*

**Goal:** Possess at least *[x]* Fertile planets in your empire.

**Reward:** 2 Horatio heroes and/or clones of Horatio heroes if all of them have already been hired.

## Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (B - Religious)

 **Rip Open**
*I will send a trusted servant to tear the truth out of this rumor. Whatever it requires in terms of threats, violence, Dust, or power I will pay it. This mystery disturbs me, and the head that wears the crown needs its beauty sleep*

**Goal:** Search the Curiosity on the *[x]* planet with a Hero of at least level *[x]*.

**Reward:** System Improvement: The Horatio Channel

* +5  Approval, +2  Influence per Population

## Final Chapter: The Great Project (B - Religious)

I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance.

I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us.

This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by a more limited pronoun.

So we look ahead to the success of our vision: We will remake the galaxy in our image; we will turn the heavens themselves into mirrors of our perfection.
And as we execute our master plan, there is one more thing that we will execute: Horatio Prime.

Or, as he has been calling himself, Five. Under my very nose he has hatched his plot; blinded by trust I allowed him to pull the strings of his web and shake the distant leaves that distracted me. But these distractions are over. We will no longer fall for his tricks, but will draw him in. For as we continue the Horatification his eyes will be on the success of the program. He will never see his own death approaching.

 **Purify**
*I will send a trusted servant to tear the truth out of this rumor. Whatever it requires in terms of threats, violence, Dust, or power I will pay it. This mystery disturbs me, and the head that wears the crown needs its beauty sleep*

**Goal:** Possess at least *[x]* Star Systems with only Horatio population.

**Reward:** System Improvement: 2 Horatio heroes and/or clones of Horatio heroes if all of them have already been hired.

## Chapter 3 - Part 2: Reason to Disbelieve (C - Industrialist)

*I will not have this. It is unacceptable! My power grows, my hands extend their grip across the systems of the galaxy. And yet, even as triumph is visible on the horizon, I am haunted by a specter from the grave.*

*Rumor has reached my ears that another perfect clone lurks out in the galaxy. Somewhere. Did Five make a clone of himself? Is the Hero who slaves for me not the true Five, but merely a copy? Did Prime hide other of our siblings elsewhere?*

*I suspect that this subtlety is beyond Five. I must assume it was Prime; perhaps his hand reaches out from the grave to flick the switches in some as-yet-undiscovered laboratory. He would dare, Prime. As would I, in his place.*

*This den of imitations must be found and utterly ruined. No border, no barrier, no distance is too great or too challenging. The root of this plague must be discovered, and lanced like a boil.*

 **Exploit**
*No rebels would dare to hold the line against me were they given the choice between wealth and death. We will scour the galaxy until the filth who protected Prime have fled his side. He will stand alone and unloved, his Horatio face twisted into the ugliness of frustration and Hatred. This is good. This is right.*

**Goal:** Search the curiosity on the *[x]* Planet when you're ready to sacrifice *[x]* of Anti-Matter.[Variant]

**Reward:** System Improvement: HyperHelix Dynamo

* + +5  Approval, +3  Industry per Population

## Final Chapter: Prime's Number is Up (C - Industrialist)

I am the first to appreciate beauty. In fact, there may be no other being in existence is as well placed to do so. And I must reluctantly admit that the devious, long-term plan concocted by Prime was gorgeous in its cunning, striking in its excess, glorious in its arrogance.

I shall bow my head to him, briefly, before I remove his own. For he has created not merely the greatest web of deceit imaginable, but he did so when faced by the most redoubtable foe in the galaxy: Us.

This is not some excess of ego; speaking of ourself in the first person plural is only right, as we speak for all Horatio and for the galaxy we will soon come to rule. Singular as we are, the scope of our genius cannot be contained by such a limited pronoun.

The Horatio empire must continue to gain power and strength; our factories and universities shall create things of beauty in unstoppable quantity. But as we proceed with this we must also remember that Prime--or Five, as he was calling himself--will stop at nothing to stop us.

My machine of perfection requires the most expensive and difficult resources, and we shall continue to seek and develop them. But under cover of this great operation of exploration and industry, my agents will begin to disassemble the web of Prime's machinations.

And, when all is finished, I shall invite him for a glass of wine, and explain that I know his secrets. Then, in his moment of despair, I shall poison him.

 **Dominate**
*This drive for beautification is difficult work, requiring not merely my personal resources of charisma and brilliance, but strategic resources as well. Beauty must be strong if it is to last forever.*

**Goal:** Have at least *[x]* Strategic Resource deposits it your empire.

**Reward:** 2 Horatio heroes and/or clones of Horatio heroes if all of them have already been hired.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The new heroes start at level 10, and the clones are functionally identical to 2 random Horatio heroes currently in your roster, with a "II" at the end of their names. To get the most value out of this reward, try to complete the quest after you have hired every possible Horatio hero. Good luck telling your heroes apart at that point.