Chapter 1254: Calm Before The Swarm

Max and Nico sat across from Generals Tennant and Yaakov in the library attached to Max's suites. It was somewhat ridiculous and luxurious to have a room full of actual paper books in this day and age, but Felicity had insisted on it, and each of the special tomes that she had created had a memory crystal in the cover with thousands of terabytes of data on it, related to the topic inside.

The crystals were stable and would last for an eternity if they weren't destroyed, so the room actually served as a knowledge repository, should their battles be lost and Absolution left derelict to float in the stars and be recovered by some future civilization the way that Creeping Darkness had been.

"This is quite the room you've got. I know that each Commander has a different taste for their sitting room, but somehow I didn't take you for one who would choose to fill it with books." General Tennant noted as he took his seat.

Max gestured to the shelves of books. "Each of them has the comprehensive knowledge of the topic they were written about contained in a storage crystal in their binding. It's more than just a library, it is a true repository of humanity's knowledge.

But I let Felicity, the ship's AI, design it for me, and this was what she came up with for the perfect spot to quietly relax and welcome friends."

The two old men smiled at Max's description. They had gone well beyond being his mentors and commanders, it was true to say that they were his friends now, even if they were old enough to be his grandfathers.

But, like a proper grandfather, they would happily sit, drink rum and swap war stories until the small hours of the morning.

Well, maybe not that long, as it was still first thing in the morning, but once the news of the next big arrival spread they should be safe to head out to their quarters without anyone bothering them. The press was fickle and there were too many potential stories to bother waiting on a pair of old soldiers for long.

"We've read the messages about the change in design plans so that everyone is not so unified in appearance and function. It makes a lot of sense from a combat standpoint, and even in Kepler, different regions and units used different equipment, with individual factory planets focused on producing single items, for efficiency.

The imbalance seems to come from the fact that your two world ships have so much more capability than the competition that they're messing up the system.

If we get some of the smaller groups to band together and focus their production instead of taking orders as they get them, it will make things a lot easier for everyone.

The problem will be convincing them that there is an actual greater good to be served here that outweighs the requests of their loyal clients.

Customer relationships are everything to the Reaver Companies, so if we're going to ask them to focus on a single design or product to make and sell, there has to be enough of an upside to it for them."

Max sighed in comfort as he adjusted himself on the buttery soft leather of the chair.

"Or I could make another couple of world ships, and they could make everything else, one product at a time. We might have to stock them with androids, though. We're running desperately short on people, and even with the refugees that we have taken in, it's going to be a long road to getting Creeping Darkness fully crewed and operational."

General Tennant laughed at the thought. They already had dozens of Android Piloted, AI operated Colony Ships out in the Galaxy, committed to a brutal war, what were a couple of World Ships? But the negative mental impact on the people to find out that the mightiest of space vessels that their species had created wasn't for them would be immeasurable.

Humanity had to feel that they were important, that they were leading the way, and that they were making a difference in the battle. Without that, they would lose morale, so if they were completely severed from either the production or use of war equipment it would be a disaster on the public relations front.

"As fun as that sounds, we all know there are a dozen reasons not to do it, and they're all good reasons. Don't worry, they'll argue about it for hours and then everyone will come up with something that works, even if it's not the way that we would have imagined it working.

That's how it always goes when things get hard. The more minds we throw at a problem, the more creative the solution." General Yaakov announced.

"But enough about work, I heard that you managed to find out a lot of interesting facts about the start of the Great War from the AI on Creeping Darkness. Is there anything juicy hidden in those details? Lovers spat, maybe a great falling out, some sort of reason that would make this all make sense?" General Tennant asked.

That was still a work related question, Max was certain, but he didn't have much of an answer for him.

"Sorry, General. There isn't anything to really tell. None of us know why things got started the way that they did, and the only ones who have been around long enough that they could tell us either forgot or aren't talking."

Nico laughed. "I like that. Let's start spreading a rumour that the whole matter started because some filthy neck beard of a God got turned down by the lovely human goddess, and the whole situation is just an eternal case of incel rage. If nothing else, it should keep the people entertained."

The Generals nearly choked on their Rum at the thought. The news would have a field day with that sort of rumour, even if it was completely unsubstantiated. All they would have to do was find some sketchy pseudoscience that suggested that the protector of humanity was a beautiful Goddess, and they could let the online community's inherently degenerate nature do the rest.

"Well, we can keep it in mind if we ever truly need a ray of hope. How about we find some snacks to go with this Rum? The cameras still show paparazzi stationed outside the office floor, waiting for someone to come out." General Yaakov joked.

"Best idea I've heard all day. I don't suppose there is a replicator in here?" General Tennant agreed.

"But of course. We put them everywhere these days."