Existential Threat: Chapter 5 Part 2 of 4 (Patreon)

>Mitch requests to join your conference

“For now lets just deal with keeping everything running.”

“Agreed,” Stuart sat up. “You going to let him in?”

“Adding him in now.”

Mitch appeared in his Avatar, wearing coveralls stained black, Miner King 001 on his breast, a mining helmet with a light on his head as he held what appeared to be an old clipboard.

His old rotund appearance had been altered to his normal, his face cut and his coveralls tight against the muscles underneath.

“Administrators,” he nodded his head.

“Mitch, what you got for us?” Brad asked.

“All mining and refining systems are performing above predicted levels by thirteen percent with new nanite infrastructure and optimization. With Project Gaia, we have built out the third generation of greenhouses. Terraforming is continuing at a rapid pace. The first generation of greenhouses and stations have produced edible items, they are being currently tested, preliminary tests show all readings nominal. Defense network is undergoing fourth generation Silver-Fist upgrade across the systems we control and those scouted.” He didn’t consult his notes once, a semi-blank expression on his face.

“How long till Project Gaia is able to serve our food needs?” Stuart asked.

“Dependent on population growth,” Mitch said.

Stuart tapped out something on his screen. “Expect two hundred thousand increase per month.”

“That much?” Brad asked.

“One hundred thousand, but best to leave in room for growth,” Stuart shrugged.

“Twelve to thirteen months with just the greenhouses.” Mitch rattled off.

“So we’re going to be reliant on the other systems for a long while still,” Brad rubbed his chin.

“Stockpiles of food continue to grow in storage, also the stations have food stocks that the restaurants and inhabitants are maintaining. Food is relatively cheap, it also means that our traders have items to bring back, keeping a constant flow of goods,” Mitch said.

Brad and Stuart looked at one another, nodding.

“Is there anything else you think that we should be aware of?” Brad asked.

“Looking at the numbers I reviewed from different factions, it is clear to me that all the factions have been able to acquire a number of factories. With selling factories to our allies we’ve been able to offset this technological difference and give our allies a considerable advantage.” Mitch looked between them.

“Do you think that it is smart selling the factories to our allies?” Stuart asked from a place of curiosity, not judgement.

“We are reaching a point where we have more work than workers in our controlled systems. Selling the factories to our allies, increases our liquidity, enhances our relationships with them, improves their technological base so that they will be able to assist us in future warfare and not be reliant upon us totally. It also allows for greater innovation,.”

“The blueprint system?” Stuart asked.

“Correct, anyone and everyone can now create a blueprint that can be put into a factory and uploaded as a copyrighted item. It has created a boom. People can specialize in creating one component and that is then used in several other designs, everyone getting a piece of the licensing fee to use their blueprint. It has created an entirely new economy instead of just relying on the items that are pre-programmed into a factory.”

Brad nodded, Minnie’s engineers had been creating plans for everything and anything, most of the time licensing tech from others to improve their own designs, leading to better sensors, propulsion systems, mining gear.

“We have several hundred million people working for Orion Belt Enterprises. The Coalition has billions, the independent systems have millions. The greater their strength, the greater ours. The factories are best used for detailed work, not mining and refining.”

“Thus the creation of the new refining systems?” Brad said.

“They can refine more material faster, and take less time to produce. Then the raw materials can be delivered to a foundry, not a factory to turn them into ingots, taking the strain from the manufacturing lines and stepping it sideways. I forsee a future where there are factories in every home, to create parts and items, to also create food. We will make money from selling them factories for now, but we will be able to sell them templates and blueprints for hundreds of items. Instituting a locked template design on the factories, stops them from being able to make weapons without the right codes and for people to sell on their designs. We have not reached that time though, we need every factory we have working on creating complex chipsets, servers, sensors. Items that are best made with nanites.”

“Now its just getting others to see it the same way instead of taking the ‘easy’ option of shoving raw materials into a factory and then having it push out a missile launcher on the other side,” Brad said.

The others grimaces agreeing with him.

“Thank you for your time Mitch,” Stuart said. “You’ve done a hell of a job increasing our mining production and I know that the engineers appreciate your ingenuity that has allowed you to turn more factories over to them to increase their production.”

“We are all part of the same team. It has made for an interesting challenge.” He tilted his head. “Administrators.” He disappeared.

“Wish that everyone was as straight forward as Mitch,” Brad smiled.

“You and me both, not much for small talk, five minutes till the next meeting,” Stuart stretched. “Mining more materials than ever, the other systems are jumping on it too and licensing out our people to develop their own methods. The more efficient they are, the faster we can grow too.”

“Don’t think we have enough warships, stations, shipyards and warpgates yet?”

“Nope,” Stuart leaned on the back of his seat, looking at the screen wall opposite, sinking into his thoughts. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us out there. The sensor buoys in every system connects us in real-time but we have to be ready for everything, that’s why we have the hidden systems. Weapons, caches, stations, ready to head into the dark, escape human space if necessary so that someone might survive if a threat kills the rest of us off.”

The silence lengthened.

“For so long we’ve only worried about one another, the fears of the dark known, understood and reduced to inconsequential. Beasts that hunted us, now conserved by our grace. Masters of all. Now we know there are things out there in the dark and they’re not tamed,” Brad said.

“I wonder if this is how our ancestors felt when they butted up against nature. Makes me wonder if we lost something in the time in between, learning to fight one another more than the threats from outside.” Stuart breathed in and stood up fully, tapping a tune on the back of the seat.

“Do you think that we should tell her about the dark systems and Armadas?” Brad turned in his seat.

“We haven’t had a leak from our people about it. We know that she has our best interests right now, but there are several corporations that have been trying every trick they have to get more control over us and pull every shady practice they can on us,” Stuart sighed. “Admittedly I might be paranoid and un-trusting of anyone that isn’t part of OBE. It’s served us well.”

Brad reached out and grabbed his shoulder, patting him on his back.

“Armadas, entire habitable planets and mined out systems,” Brad snorted and rolled his shoulders, sitting up straighter as their break time disappeared.