New servers go live!

on . Posted in Blog

New servers go live!Hi guys, For the past few months the AE staff has been busy preparing to transfer the game servers to a new datacenter. I am happy to announce that we have now successfully moved Astro Empires severs to the new datacenter located at Paris. Better servers and direct connection to main international l…

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Real Life

on . Posted in AE Stories

Real LifeMike looked at his watch. The seconds ticked away agonisingly slowly.  He checked his escape routes. All around him were enemies, he was completely surrounded. Almost every conceivable exit was a death trap. To escape, this would be about timing. He looked at his watch again. Soon. He visualised the move, if he started too early his enemies would see where he was going and react. If he left it too late, he might miss his window of opportunity. Get ready. Check where everyone is, and where they are going. Focus. Five…Four…Three…Two…“MIKE! Wake up!”…

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Preemptive Strike

on . Posted in AE Stories

Preemptive StrikeThe command bridge of the Unified Spacing Coalition Naval Vessel "Saskatoon" was a site of bustling activity. Technicians, logistics officers, and a handful of engineers added to the usually sparse bridge crew. This of course, was due to the rather complex process of warp 'landings,' especially so regarding the rather dangerous asteroid belt that was the monolithic Dreadnought's destination. One misstep, or miscalculation, could result in her appearance within, or on collision course with any of the myriad of astral bodies within the system. It was a relatively barren star system though, in regards to strategic importance, but was cluttered with useless obstructions. And yet, it had aroused the attention of a sector-spanning empire. Or at least one of her ships of the line. This attention was due to the presence of several telltale gravity wells, signaling the approach of several relatively large fleets on the system. With Unified Spacing Coalition Forces Base Shilo nearby, it was not something the Reserve Naval Forces could overlook, especially with the Strathcona and Southgate battle groups on operations elsewhere in Galaxy Forty-Four.…

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Just another day in the office

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Just another day in the office"Mornin’, Fred.”“Mornin’, Sam.  Ready for another exciting day of simulated space-based combat?”“Sure!”  Sam stifled a yawn, sipped his grande mocha latte and asked, “hey - are we still in SIM mode?”“Yup, Sammy.  Simming away as usual.” Sam sighed and put his coffee down on his standard-issue gray workstation desk.  SIM mode, which stood for Strategic Infrastructure Manufacturing, meant that this would likely be another boring day with not much action to be had. Sam and Fred settled into their neighboring office chairs amidst the cubicle farm that was the local IGCBCS (Inter-Galactic Computer-Based Combat Systems) office in New Liberty, the capital of their planet Cestus III.  (This always struck Sam as a bit humorous since Cestus I and II were just uninhabited asteroid fields. Couldn’t they just call it “Cestus”?)  Sam fired up his workstation and logged in to the IGCBCS system. He noted that the production, construction and research queues were still days away from finishing, and the long-range scanners were completely empty of movement.  Quite simply, there was a whole lot of nothing going on.…

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The Destruction of Sennacherib

on . Posted in AE Stories

The Destruction of Sennacherib“For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!”The Destruction of Sennacherib Lord Byron 
It was cold. I remember the snow, and how white it was.  I remember well how red contradicts the white. The blood...
Our story started 10 days ago, when we landed on this god damn moon. Basilica 10. The 10th moon of the planet Basilica. It's funny how they ran out of the names after the great space explorations in the '90s. In order to understand the cold you need to realize that Basilica is located in the far end of the New Solar system. 150 solar years away from our post. The orders from Secretariat said that our job was just a routine check of the automated antimatter plants located underneath the surface of this forgotten moon. How wrong were they?…

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