Roaming Sowers for ES2

Sowers should make an appearance in ES2. However, they should not be a major faction because ES2 doesn't need any more ES1 civ imports. They shouldn't be a minor faction because sticking to one planet does not work with their ethos. Instead the Sowers should appear as a unique faction similar to pirates but instead of fighting the empires they terraform worlds. 

The Sowers fleet travels around the galaxy, selecting systems for terraforming. They can be an colonized or vacant systems. If they are terraforming a colonized system that system cannot build anything while the terraforming process is underway. If they are terraforming a vacant system that system cannot be colonized until they are finished. They do not always terraform planets into green paradises. As they decipher the ancient plans of the endless it is clear there will need to be gas worlds, barren worlds, and volcanic worlds as well.

If the player wants to stop the sowers they will have to defeat their fleet, which is very large and advanced. This fleet only attacks if attacked, and if defeated they will dissapear to another part of the galaxy. They can regenerate damage but cannot replenish losses. Totally destroying the sowers is something for an endgame empire to pursue. Alternatively there may be diplomatic routes the empires may pursue. The Sowers require raw materials to continue their mission and may take tribute in exchange for moving the player's worlds to the end of their terraforming timetable, or they may offer technology in exchange for raw materials if they are low on resources. They may even give quests.

I believe this would be a great way to include an old ES1 empire without making it a full blown faction or handwaving it as a minor faction. Adding these sowers would create a sense of chance, as the player never knows if they will terraform a planet into a useful or useless world for them. Diplomacy with the sowers will add another strategy for inconveniencing other empires or to get ahead technologically. Lastly, destroying the Sowers creates another endgame goal the player can choose to strive for.

Thank you for reading.