An SOS.
After having been trapped in a few empty systems... more than once... Usually from an unlucky incident in the storms. Or worse. I begun to wonder is there a way to make the Empty-ports escapeabl withou either:
-------------------------------------------
A) commiting suicide by waiting down the time and waiting till the sun or Atrophy takes you.
B) Scuttling nearly all your fleet just to get out and MAYBE, just MAYBE, get free?
C) Try in vain to attack a fleet an gain some fuel?
Wait, maybe I could do that... well, More of "Trade" rather than attack.
This is an idea for an Ability I though of. Considering the sensor burst, and that some systems have Derelict stations, a com-relay, or something else that could possibly be scrapped for a little something.
I wondered if it'd be possible to send out a Short-range "SOS" that would "broadcast" 2 squares around the system to ANY fleet not busy that makes a request for fuel. This appears to "Ping out" 4 times, meaning you've a 25% RANDOM chance of the fleet coming to your aid. be it bad, or good... Heh.
This would help, with resulting in a decline of suicides to the sun gods in sacrifice; And boost morale when you get lucky and get a fleet that DOESN'T. Want to skin you rump form end to end and instead. For some amount of Credits (a base 100 for Fuel perhaps?) Gives you the special honey you so, so, so SO very much crave at that very moment.
To avoid this being abused it would require that you are at 1: At a Relay/Abandoned Station/ Other Stellar Body with Transmission capabilities that can help broad cast a signal farther. 2: This also requires that your fleet is at less than 15% or 10% Fuel. (eg 10% of 25 is 2.5 (2 or 3), barely enough to get out or at least sit in Hyper-space. if you're in a single ship...)
Likewise, it scales with the ships... So. If total feul 386. 10 % of 386 is 38, enough for desprate tanker fleet of frigates to get out, but if unsure can equest help. But for a larger military fleet lacking a Tanker, depending on composition... Barely enough to move a single square before getting pulled back to the empty star. At least, in vaniliia it can be. In modded the universe is very populated with very few empty systems. Regardless, it's an idea a base idea.
One I thought up of after commiting suicde for the umpohteenth time after being chased by luddi-loonie's through space and driven to an empty system only to die burning in plasama and failing 2 missions~! GAUH!