The seemingly sudden increase unnerved him, but he reminded himself that the drastic consequences he imagined had yet to take effect. Which means I have time to prepare. Neptura still had a deficit of Consumer Goods, sitting at -1 per Vesperan Standard Month. He had 91 Consumer Goods left, a comfortable stockpile, but in a realm where the months passed by in seconds if he so wished, it may not last so long in the grand scheme of things.
He clicked onto the Aureon system and viewed the blue pearl that was Neptura, floating peacefully in its quiet star system. Noticing the engineering vessel had completed the two mining stations, he instructed it to build an Orbital Research Station over Sylvara to gather its +2 Research Points at the cost of 100 Raw Materials. That would be the final construction in the Aureon System.
Looking up at his resources, he saw:
- Power Units: 164 +43 (Vesperan Standard Monthly Gain)
- Raw Materials: 43 +28
- Food: 297 +10
- Heavy Compounds: 105 +11
- Consumer Goods: 91 -1
- Research Points: +54
- Cohesion: +32
Marcus was relieved to see the slight increases in Power Unit and Raw Material production in his home system but noticed Food had ticked down from +11 to +10, and Consumer Goods from 0 to -1. That’ll be from all those hungry mouths… he thought nervously. A ticking time bomb in the making.
“Athira, how do we get more Consumer Goods?” he asked the machine.
“There are multiple ways to increase Consumer Goods production. First would be to build Manufacturing Facilities on Neptura using a building slot. Second would be to build more Industrial Zones, which creates jobs that convert Raw Materials into Consumer Goods. Industrial Zones cost 500 Raw Materials, whereas Manufacturing Facilities cost 400 Raw Materials, though Industrial Zones will produce slightly less Consumer Goods than a Manufacturing Facility, with the compensation of also producing some Heavy Compounds as well.”
“I’ll take the first option, then. We can worry about Heavy Compounds later, and it’s cheaper,” Marcus said, but when he tried to build Manufacturing Facilities, he found he was unable to. All of his building slots were locked.
He consulted the AI once more.
“Unfortunately, due to the two Quantum Clone Vats required to sustain our army, all building slots are currently occupied. You can make more room by constructing an Urban Zone for 500 Raw Materials. As a bit of further advice, you can also clear Environmental Barriers which take up what could otherwise be productive zones. Neptura has three Environmental Barriers: two abandoned Factory Segments and a Giant Toxic Lake. For 300 Power Units per barrier, work crews will be sent to clear them.”
“Ugh,” Marcus moaned. “Clearing room just for one building costs almost double what I have…” he strained. And I can’t even afford to clear the environmental barriers… fuck. Then, checking his resources, he realized he could not afford to construct any zones or buildings either. “I can’t afford any of it! Must I just wait?”
“A final resort,” the robotic voice of the AI rang, “would be to sell any resources you have in surplus and then use the profits to buy what you need from Neptura’s internal market.”
A wave of relief washed over him. “Oh, bloody hell! Why didn’t you start with that? Surely that can’t be more expensive than these other options?”
“Market rates shift depending on what you buy and sell, but yes, it is the easiest, temporary solution. I wouldn’t recommend relying on it, though. You can check the rates by clicking onto your resources as you see them displayed, and a market overview will appear.”
So he did just that and browsed a chart of numbers and graphs accompanied by the various symbols representing the state’s resources. Currently, he could buy 50 Consumer Goods at the cost of 130 Power Units.
Hmm, he brooded some more, and in the end decided not to buy the Consumer Goods right now. It’s good to know I’ve got that in my back pocket. I’ll just buy some more and make a stockpile should it dip below 50. The resources at the moment could be spent on better things like continued expansion to increase resource production anyway. Though he would make sure to watch those numbers like a hawk.
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Instead, he commissioned another Research Craft for 100 Heavy Compounds, bringing his stockpile down to just 5. Once it was built after two months, he sent it to survey the Aestara system. Maybe that system would yield some surprises, too.
After the Orbital Research Station over Sylvara was complete, another notification appeared before him:
MEDIA REPORT: RUINED LEGACY
The Military Administration on Neptura received the report on the ancient remnants of an alien megastructure, inspiring a mix of awe and trepidation.
The findings, centering on the remains of a vast, shattered Dyson Sphere, are now hailed as irrefutable proof of a once-great civilization that wielded power on an unimaginable scale. These ruins, orbiting a lost star, whisper of a bygone age when humanity was not the sole master of the stars. Among the leadership, this revelation sparked both fervent curiosity and stark warnings. Were these architects victims of hubris or conquest? What led to their collapse, and what dangers might such discoveries awaken?
While the military now views this discovery as a pivotal moment in Neptura’s destined march to reclaim Vespera, a few dissenting voices urge caution, dismissing the remnants as ‘freak celestial phenomena,’ with some more cynical voices even suggesting the administration has fabricated the whole thing for vague political purposes.
Still, the Dyson Sphere stands as a crumbling monument to lost glory and a tremendous opportunity for humanity to uncover the ancient secrets of the universe.
Cohesion: +5% for 10 cycles
Marcus read the report with great interest since it was his plan that he approved, even though Ironsides had suggested the bulk of it. It seemed to be well received, and the report gave Neptura a small cohesion boost, which he took to mean it was a success. But one of the lines, ‘fabricated the whole thing for vague political purposes…’ Who the hell had claimed that? he wondered. Why on Earth would he make something like that up, it didn’t even make any sense! Fucking conspiracy theorists… Was he not the Grand Archon? Were these clones not meant to be obedient? Maybe he would have to institute some form of censorship if such voices continued rising and growing in number.
Could it be Valen sowing these seeds? the more paranoid part of Marcus now wondered. The clone had been opposed to his awakening from the beginning, and it seemed he took the opposite stance of whatever Marcus wanted to do in all of his policy, always being a devil’s advocate for something. At the same time, though, Marcus understood that he should not surround himself with yes-men.
He had seen it far too many times on his homeworld, not in government but in business, and it crippled a business just as easily as any state. The pedestal built by drooling lickspittles is always the first to crumble, whether for a CEO, a celebrity, or a leader. The last thing he wanted was to foster an atmosphere of fear among his officials, scaring them into withholding what they thought true. Disagreement and trust was still a good sign, though he feared it could brew into open revolt.
Into death.
So many questions… yet so little time. Marcus did what he always had done in such predicaments, and simply got on with his work, waiting for the future to unravel. One cannot warp the flow of the great river of history. He may dip his hand in it if duty calls him to, but in the end, its destination is the same.
He set the time dilation to full speed, watching the days pass by in seconds. As his resources ticked upwards with the passing months, he spent 300 Power Units to clear one of the Factory Segments on Neptura, which would take a few months.
After that, Athira informed him that the research craft sent to chart the Vorathar system (the system with the Dyson Sphere) was complete. When he clicked on the Research Craft to assign a new order, he noticed a yellow circle above it.
Clicking onto it, he noticed a list of traits he could assign to the clone scientist, Dr. Lyran, leading the research team on the vessel. The traits went as followed:
Spatial Savant - +20% survey speed
Theoretical Visionary - -5% crime as planetary governor
Intuitive - +10% research project speed
Already getting the hang of the GCI, Marcus did not feel the need to consult Athira. Since the scientist was already charting and still had a lot more to chart, he selected the Spatial Savant trait and sent the Research Craft off to explore the next system after Vorathar—the Thalvona system.
“Now that a system has been fully charted, you may build a orbital command center in it, claiming it as part of the Nepturan Stellar Order, which will then allow you to build orbital facilities to harvest its resources. Your engineering vessel has completed the orbital research facility in the Aureon system, so you could send it to construct an orbital command center in the Vorathar system.”
And so he did. He saw that the Vorathar system yielded only +6 Power Units—two from the star and four from a magma-covered planet designated Vorathar 2. Better than nothing, he supposed.
The ship went on its way to build the orbital command center.
After that, a notification popped up that the Lysandros system had been charted. It must have been a bigger one because it was the first system he went to explore yet was done second, and upon seeing it, he saw why. There were far more planets in it, yielding a total of +9 Raw Materials and +4 Research Points.
He would need another engineering vessel to begin construction of an orbital command center and the appropriate orbital facilities there. In the meantime, he sent his research craft onto the next system—the Eryndal system.
He watched it idly, letting days… weeks… months of his life pass by in mere minutes. Little did he know that it would be in this star system where the trajectory of his people would change forever, where a new dawn would usher in for Neptura.
It started with a notification from Athira, reading:
ALIEN SIGHTING IN ERYNDAL.
Our research craft has reported a sighting of alien ships in the Eryndal System. We know from initial readings that these ships are not of human design. We have designated the strange aliens as the Eryndal Anomalies until further study is conducted. Whatever language(s) they communicate with, we must decipher it to assess their intentions and determine if they are a threat.
This marks a turning point in humanity’s journey among the stars. A moment filled with both potential and peril.
“So,” Marcus said, eerily thinking of the graveyard of fleets before that shattered Dyson Sphere. “It begins.”