If you don't conquer the pirates in the ensuing consolidation, that is.
SithLackey
First of all, if your defense fleet is decent-sized, and you put a phase jump inhibitor on your new border world, along with plenty of hanger defenses, no enemies should be able to leave the gravity well once there. To address the other part of the issue, I'd say only remove defenses if you really need the resources. This way you still have a fall-back on interior worlds. If you have to scuttle thing, start with things like turrets, and save repair stations for last (they're probably the most us
Must have been surrender. I was Vasari, and not even to the top of the tech tree. Two AIs left, I trashed the home world of one, and just finished signing the last alliance with the other. Yeah, probably surrender.
I guess I kind of assumed you had to destroy the rest of the factions to win, but I just won for no apparent reason. Does anyone know the exact conditions for a win?