Yes @OrBit I know players have been screaming for some of these changes for years; I was one of them. Did you forget that I was also once a player asking the mods and Stefan for a better game?
I’ve been here making changes specifically to make IC less mundane. The NAP Overhaul comes to mind, or the Inactive Handling Updates, or the family council. Mass explos, etc, etc. I could go on; I’m not as out of touch as you’d like to think.
I’m not.
These are not new thoughts, I am just writing them down in diary form as I play a round. Some of these ideas I’ve posted about before as individual topics, but I am grouping them together here so that they stay top of mind.
This isn’t my first time playing a round you know. 
It’s just my first in a long time. These aren’t exactly epiphanies, more a refreshed perspective.
Maybe instead of asking me why I’m behind the game, you should pay attention to the game’s changes and catch up a bit yourself. 
Good point on intergalactic aid not being instant. That would be a nice take on the feature.
Your response to their actions makes sense, but I still think it would be a better experience if they had more means to recruit others. Had I know their intent and the game supported it, I might have been inclined to join them.
If we have players willing to sacrifice their round in a futile attempt to balance the game, it’s worth questioning why they feel so compelled to do so.
Sure, they should face consequences of risky decisions but why shouldn’t they also have means to recruit others for their cause? If they did, it might have made for a more interesting conflict for all involved.
More people playing for longer would be a good thing.
You did what you should have done in that situation, but I don’t think it reflects well on the game’s design.