The Reluctant Vassal's Guide to Living in the Frontier (with some Treason)

Kat reviewed the final target specifications that the Prisms under her had put together. "So our first ship is basically something that screams 'fuck you' and then hurls a ton of lead in their general direction until they get the message," She bluntly summarized and her subordinates nodded. "Nothing too ambitious for now. Good, I was worried I was going to have to beat it into your knuckle brains that we're a far cry from Helm right now."

The reminder of their old home had some faces adopting a downtrodden look, and it didn't go unnoticed. With a huff, the Hyacinth Prism tapped the concept drawings to draw their attention. "Hey, don't go into the shitters just because of that. We're just getting started here. Once we get this done and impress the Solar Princess, maybe she'll throw more projects our way. Maybe even give us a Solarium Forge to finally get workshops rolling for all of us!" That sparked a renewed flame that Kat clearly took pride in. "See? Now then, let's get this all stamped and approved, then we can start actually putting it all together! Get off your ass and get ready once I come back, because I'll be driving you all to the bone!"

There was a chorus of eager agreement while their unofficial leader gathered up the proposed design and stepped outside the converted workshop. She took a single step across the door, paused, then turned to face her subordinates with suddenly shy and fidgeting fingers. "A-and thank-k you," Kat stuttered out, her voice meek and tiny with overwhelming nervousness. "Your help is, um...appreciated!" She squeaked and darted off, the sudden personality shift having some of the Prisms chuckling fondly under their breath.

Unbeknownst to them, there was another joining in the soft laughter in an office while idly preparing to go over the design.


(Develop City (New Helm): 43 +7 (Radana) +11 (Wealth) = 61)

Progress: 2/2. Finished!

New Helm has increased by one (1) Industry.

Radana smiled encouragingly and raised her voice to carry it through the room, subtly weaving a little enhancement through the circuits in her body to do so. "It would appear then that the motion to accept these new districts to our burgeoning capital has been carried. Please give a round of applause for your new colleagues of the assembly."

Said colleagues flushed at the energetic welcome they were given, but stood up just a little bit straighter when it was all done. The Camellia Knight nodded with a pleased expression and sat back down to relax, lending nothing but her presence to further discussions. Her job was done, especially with New Helm's governing body already beginning to enthusiastically discuss what this incorporation of additional suburbs entailed. Though they wouldn't remain so undeveloped for long, especially if the new capital for the Helmsmen away from their ancestral home continued to grow.

But if they did indeed wish to grow further, then they could do so after an excellent cup of tea.


(Design Ship (Wisteria-class): 41 +15 (Kat) +11 (Wealth) = 67)

Progress: 2/4. Ongoing.

"A work by Heliophile Voidworks, Ltd. How interesting," You muttered while going over the proposal. "I should learn more about them."

"I-I'll ask around!" Kat eagerly promised with violent head nodding. "B-but you can trust them!"

"We'll see once the prototypes are in production." Which they already are, you knew already. But you'd let Kat still roar and push for progress updates in her workshop, to keep up your facade if nothing else. Still, it seemed like there was good progress and the design could be finalized relatively soon.


(Construct Chain (Data Reliquary)): 16 +10 (Violet) +11 (Wealth) = 37)

Progress: 2/2. Finished!

New Helm has built a Data Reliquary.

You took a deep breath, smothered the deep desire to scream in despair, and put on a wide plastic smile on your face. Your walk up to the podium to stand before the gathered crowd felt more akin to walking to a firing squad, complete with faces looking at you in judgment and anticipation. Your hands gripped the sides of the stand before you, and you sucked in a deep breath that unfortunately only heightened the tension in the scene.

Just...get this over with! "Today is a landmark moment for us, the date upon which we commit to our presence in this system," You began, glancing at the short bullet point list that your best friend had jotted down for you. "Even should we depart or fade away in time, our honor and legacy will still be forever preserved in the Data Reliquary we open today. Our people know only too well the value of knowledge passed on through time, reaching to enlighten and enrich those far in the future beyond us."

You swallowed, already feeling your knees quiver, but clutched the stand tighter. One last push! You distracted yourself with mentally screaming, thus not catching the words slipping out of your mouth until it was too late. "So should wicked thoughts tug at you, selfish ones even, do not heed them so. Remember that it is the choices we make now that forge the future we wish to see. If you feel your resolve slipping, then it is for this very reason that this repository of knowledge is open for all. Remember the words of those who have walked in these very steps before, and seek the wisdom of the yesterday to guide a vision of tomorrow."

Moments after those words left your lips, you realized you had made a very grave error. One that quickly compounded with the first cheers and claps from the spectators that swiftly cascaded into rousing applause at your simple, short, but empathetic speech. But perhaps there was a chance they hadn't made the connection-!

"The Solar Princess is right! We just can't forget and throw away our past!" One cried out and the blood froze in your veins. "Remember that she was the one who led the charge to save everybody regardless!"

"Even if she could not save His Majesty in the end, she still honored him so by being at his side at the very end!" Another added, then their tone began to sour. "Unlike a certain other!"

"Aye, we support the one who is righteous!" A pause, then a daring suggestion. "And still, she's kind enough to offer an open hand for redemption! It's clear that House Iris still has a chance at greatness under her!"

"Such generosity!"

"Such forgiveness!"

"Such leadership!"

With each additional heaping of praise thrown your way, you felt something inside you shatter just a little bit more. In a completely unintended manner, it seemed like you had turned what was supposed to be just a regular ceremony speech into an improvised rally on why you were just, and your sister the disgraced. Your mind flashed to a casual mention from Dorothea right before the event that she had vetted all those here, to ensure that none would act disgracefully in the presence of House Iris.

It only just occurred to you know that she had only picked those who did lean already in your direction. Your head mechanically turned to where you knew a camera lens was, livestreaming this event across the entire system and showcasing what appeared to be popular support for your side in comparison to your older sister. This had undoubtedly helped push some more people on the fence to fervently believe in your supremacy...and thus further doom any attempt to hand it all over to fade away later.

You wanted to scream and storm off the stage. But instead, you plastered the widest grin you could put on, and resolved to curl up sobbing in the privacy of your office later.


(Infiltrate Cells (Sister): 97 +14 (Dorothea) +11 (Wealth) = 122)

Progress: 4/4. Finished!

House Iris Separatists have been infiltrated...

Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of the city, rushing and hurrying along to reach their destination as swiftly as possible. It was long past curfew, meaning that those 'commissioned enforcers' still awake and stalking the streets were the most vicious of their kind, seeing those who violate the commandment as nothing more but heads to present for a nice reward. Already, the haste was causing unnecessary noise and drawing greedy eyes.

Yet by the time they arrived, hands a little too close to their blades, they were disappointed with the sight of nobody there. After a few minutes of grumbling and kicking empty containers about, they sullenly accepted their prey had likely already escaped and departed the area in search of other possible violations. Beneath a set of cellar doors, relieved breaths were exchanged and those who had fled descended deeper into the dimly lit basement. One of them went to a seemingly random stack of items to withdraw a battered looking radio. Then they slid the fake case off and activated a communicator, dialing in a private channel to reach a remote outpost that then bounced the signal off planet.

It took a moment for the screen to confirm the connection and visual feed established. "You are behind on your check-in," Dorothea mentioned with narrowed eyes. The agent could practically feel the Lycoris Knight's hand coming to a rest on the hilt of her weapon. "Explain yourself."

The infiltrator gave a single nod and stepped aside to beckon an exhausted looking individual step up. At the intense questioning look from the woman a planet away, they nervously coughed and clear their throat. "A-ah. I'm...well, I don't want to share my name, just in case. But I work with city administration."

That immediately grabbed Dorothea's attention and they gave a single grim nod. "I've tried my best to try and bridge what the people need with what our lady wishes, but it's been a losing battle from the start. So much so that I and many others are prepared to already throw in the towel, but we can't. We're effectively chained to our jobs due to how it's been all setup. Needless to say, all of us aren't so happy...and are more than willing to provide information if it helps topple this regime."

The Lycoris Knight leaned in slightly, none noticing the faint glint of a bugged button beneath her collar. "I'm listening," She spoke, unknowingly voicing two individuals at once.

- Just resolving the turn results in one post, then we'll flow into a setup for the next cycle soon.
- Progress in peacetime is as follows: 1 (1-25), 2 (26-75), 3 (76-100), 4 (100+)

Dr Tamara Trench's Guide to the Realms and Peoples of the United Empire: The Preatorium of Noatun

Founding of Noatun and Ingenuity of Naumsium:
The story of the people who would become the Noatans begins with the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Engineering and Research Company. Lauritzen & Lauritzen was one of the oldest and most preeminent ship designers during the Age of Expansion and developed many technologies still used today. Their greatest achievement was the creation of Naumsium, one of the most efficient cloaking alloys humanity has ever produced. When the celebration of its development was over, Lauritzen & Lauritzen turned its eyes to the matter of mass production. A great amount of new minerals would need to be acquired and therefore many new mining colonies would need to be founded, among these was Noatun.

The Noatun sector contained among other things the Noatun Asteroid Belt, a massive belt of mineral rich asteroids containing reserves of every component mineral of Naumsium, making the systems colonisation of vital importance to the company.

The planet Noatun itself wasn't given much focus though, its only city of Noatun City founded to cement Lauritzen & Lauritzen control over the sector. Noatun is a very cold planet, mostly covered in giant glaciers with a thin strip of inhabitable land along the equator, meaning the company saw little use in establishing a greater presence on it, so Noatun City remained only a local administrative hub and not much more.

The real focus was put on Port Njor and the massive mining-ship fleet. Port Njor was built to be the logistical, economic and industrial hub of the sector, a cutting-edge space station in which the minerals would be deposited, Naumsium refined and then shipped out to the rest of the galaxy. Its fleet was similarly advanced, a massive armada of the finest mining-ships the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company could produce.

But economic growth wasn't the only thing the colony experienced during its early days, but a cultural one too, as a new cultural identity was born in the system. The workforce, living under the firm hand of the Lauritzsen & Lauritzen company, learnt in these early days the importance of cooperation and solidarity. Self-reliance and hard work were likewise highly valued, the ideal of a strong and productive worker an ever present part of company propaganda.


Development of Noatun and Creation of the Njor Frames:
Noatun, at the time located at the edge of colonised space, still became a regional economic hub, vast amounts of wealth flowing into the system as the valuable Naumsium alloy was exported en masse. This economic freedom allowed the local directorate to delve into its own R&D efforts to further increase the efficiency of the colony.
One of the directorates biggest problems was that both the Noatun system and its surrounding systems lacked many actual colonists who could work on the massive mining and refining operation. Every death and retirement came at a great cost to the company. Ideas to bring in robotic workers were brought up, but the AI systems needed to retain the same level of efficiency as humans proved too expensive. Then came a new idea, the idea to not replace their workers with robots, but merge them.

The result was the Njor Frames. The Njor Frames are robotic bodies into which human organs can be transferred, the person's mind taking the place of an AI in running the suit. The system keeps the few biological organs alive and the human enjoys the many benefits of their new cyborg body. Increased strength and endurance, no need to sleep, 360 degrees of visions, extended lifespans, etc.

While few workers wanted to get transformed into a Njor Cyborg, the company exploited its economic and policing stranglehold over its workers to coerce a sizeable part of its workforce to undergo the irreversible operation to become a Njor Cyborg, though popular pressure never allowed them the full transition some in the local directorate wanted. Still, the frames pushed the system's output to even greater heights.

Some of this wealth even trickled down to the common workers, allowing for a sort of cultural flourishing. The ship-bound workers (who made up the vast majority of the workforce and general population) developed ship-specific traditions, the inhabitants of Port Njor helped develop small-scale consumer industries which markedly improved the lives for the systems workers and the inhabitants of Noatun City helped build up their city to a small, yet respectable capital for the system.


The Troubles of Noatun and Development of the Home Ships:
These good times would, like all others, come to an end as the Age of Troubles brought humanity into a new dark age.

It began with a downturn in trade. Isolationism and protectionism were the words of the day and for such a trade-dependent society like Noatun that meant the end of the prosperity it had previously enjoyed. Still, profits (though markedly smaller ones) could still be made and the threat of intervention by the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in defence of its colony kept the hungry eyes of Noatuns neighbours turned elsewhere. If things had continued like that then maybe Noatun could have ridden out the storm, surviving the Age of Troubles largely unscathed. But knowledgeable readers know this would not last.

The Burning of Luyten was a massive event in Human history. One of the first planets to ever be colonised by humans and a galactic centre of trade, industry and science, was nearly wholly destroyed in a brutal war against its neighbours. While I could write a whole of book on the Burning of Luyten (like many of my colleagues have done), what is important to this chapter is that the planet was home to the headquarter of Lauritzen & Lauritzen and it the surprise attack upon the planet, the entire board of directors perished and most of the governing body of the company was destroyed. (1)

With Noatun's suzerain effectively whipped off the face of the galaxy, the wolves began circling the system. While the directorate had begun the construction of a small defence fleet, it was not nearly enough to stave off an attack from the system's neighbours.

When the first enemy fleet came(2), the directorate in Noatun City knew they would never be able to meet them in open battle. Having used Naumsium in the construction of their ships, the Noatan fleet was able to inflict costly wounds against the enemy fleet in quick hit-and-run attacks. But their enemy was a veteran fighting force and the Noatans had not a single professional officer in their ranks, so in the end, the fleet was caught and destroyed.

With any hope of a successful defence now no more than space scrap, the board of directors in Noatun City sent out a message of surrender. But the enemy, which had only planned on raiding Port Njor's Naumsium stores, was now out for revenge. The enemy fleet proceeded to occupy Port Njor before beginning to indiscriminately bombard Noatun City from orbit, reducing the city and killing the system's leadership. (3)

With their goals achieved the enemy fleet returned home to their own system, but not before leaving a final message. One of their rivals was apparently amassing a fleet of their own, larger than the first enemy's fleet, to come and properly conquer Noatun.

The entire war had thrown Noatan society into chaos and with a second enemy fleet on the way there was little time to stabilise. But stabilise they did. With company control now reduced to ash, the workers of Port Njor and the mining ships took control and a giant assembly was held at Port Njor to discuss what was to be done. Everyone agreed that active military opposition was a doom endeavour and an ambitious plan of withdrawal was instead agreed upon.

Port Njor would be evacuated, its population distributed across the great mining ships. The ships themselves would be rapidly reconstructed to become more self-sufficient, expanding their farm and housing sections and retrofitting the ships with hastily produced Naumsium to better hide them. Even the massive alloy forges of Port Njor were deconstructed and rebuilt as parts of these new "Home Ships" to allow for the production of Naumsium on the move.
Finally there was the most controversial of the emergency projects, the expansion of the Njor Cyborg corps. The Njor Frames were widely disliked as a concept due to their tainted history, but during the battle against the first enemy fleet, they had proven themselves as great fighters, especially in boarding actions. With heavy hearts the assembly sent out the calls for volunteers to join the Njor Cyborg Corps, but this time no one would be forced into it and anyone who volunteered was rightfully considered a great hero.

While some doubted if this ambitious list of actions could be put into effect before the second enemy fleet came, though hard-work the Noatans managed to do it and as the first scouting ships entered the system, the last Home Ship left a now empty Port Njor, headed back to the asteroid belt.

The occupation would prove bloody and fruitless for the invaders. The Naumsium stores of Port Njor had been emptied and its industrial infrastructure deconstructed. When the enemy realised that the Noatans were hiding in the asteroid belt, they sent ships to hunt them down.

This would prove a deadly mistake.

The asteroid belt was filled with small mining bases, many of which the Njor Cyborgs had converted into ambush points. The enemy officers quickly learnt that behind every asteroid there could be an ambush waiting to strike, cyborgs sneaking close before ripping open holes with their mining drills and flooding into the ship. While these early guerilla fighters were untrained, their enhanced bodies made them brutal fighters and with every engagement they learnt and became yet deadlier.

Tracking down either Cyborg bases or Home Ships proved a futile task. The Home Ships buried themselves in the deepest depths of the asteroid belt and their farms made it so they didn't have to leave for resupply. The Cyborgs mechanical bodies allowed them to survive with even small stores of food for years and whenever they needed resupply they would just raid another enemy ship unlucky enough to have been given scouting duty. And of course both groups used their Naumsium to its full effect, keeping them well hidden from all enemy scanners.

In the end, the enemy just gave up. There was no heroic final battle, just an anticlimax, in which the second enemy fleet slowly withdrew from the system, seeing no reason to continue to expend lives on a system in which resources couldn't be safely extracted for risk of cyborg ambushes.

But just because there wasn't a great final battle doesn't mean that the joy of victory was any less sweet. The Home Fleets came out of hiding, all converging on one point, Port Njor. Port Njor had been used as a command hub by the enemy, but just like the Noatans they had stripped it bare before leaving.

With the first heroic struggle over, the heroic struggle of rebuilding restarted. Port Njor was restored to its pre-war glory, with one exception, the forges. The Noatans had since their society's birth been a largely ship-bound people and after the war the only people who still remembered station-bound or planet-bound life were the oldest of cyborgs.

A small group of people would opt to stay on Port Njor, to handle the duties of diplomacy and trade with the wider galaxy. But most people stayed on the Home Ships, for as the name implied they were their real homes. The ships returned to the asteroid belt, to mine and produce Naumsium. The Naumsium (at least that which wasn't needed for the maintenance of the ships and the Cyborg corps) was regularly shipped back to Port Njor, in which the station's inhabitants once more began selling it to the wider galaxy, brotherly sharing the profit with the Home Ships.

The Cyborg Corps kept to itself even more than the Home Ships, only coming out of their hidden bases to recruit new members of resupply, but even then only from the Home Ships in the asteroid belt. To protect their homes the Cyborgs had given up much to assume their new forms, but from this hardship emerged a form of warrior philosophy. The Cyborgs offered themselves for the protection of their people, they suffered so that their families, friends and countrymen could live safer lives.

This philosophy proved itself many more times. Be it invasions from other systems or incursions from pirates, whenever the Noatans were threatened they Home Ships dove into the secure depths of the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps decimated whatever enemy dared enter Noatan space. That, combined with the surrounding polities not wanting the stream of Naumsium to dry up, kept the system largely safe from outsiders, though the ever present threat still left the Noatans distrustful of outsiders.


Reunification of Noatun and Flow of Naumsium:
Then came the Stellarch and they would do with one ship what no other had been able to do with a thousand.

When Port Njor and subsequently the Home Ships were made aware of a giant fleet on the way to the Noatun System, they did what they always did. Port Njor prepared for occupation, the Home Ships delved into the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps was informed to prepare their weapons.

But when the fleet arrived, only one of its countless ships, a small unarmed yacht, entered the asteroid belt. When the ship was eventually ambushed and boarded by cyborgs, the ship's captain revealed themselves to be the Stellarch themself. While what they said is not known, what is known is what happened next.

The Stellarch had managed to convince not just one, but an entire chapter of cyborgs to not only lay down their weapons, but lead the Stellarch to the nearest Home Ship. When the Stellarch arrived chaos ensued in the Home Ship, but when everyone realised it was only one unarmed ship and that it was led there by the cyborgs, chaos was replaced by confusion.

But once again the Stellarch showed their unrivalled diplomatic ability, swaying the Home Ship's leaders to reunite with the rest of humanity, to share their gifts with not only the surrounding systems, but all mankind (for by now Noatun was the only remaining of Lauritzen & Lauritzen's old colonies who still had the complete formula for the production of Naumsium). (4)

And so the Stellarch would do, again and again, meeting with Cyborg chapters and Home Ships, until there remained no part of Noatan society which was not part of the United Empire. With them on this journey was a Cyborg, the commandant of the first Cyborg chapter they met. On the final day before their departure, the Stellarch would appoint this Cyborg as Praetor of Noatun.

The choice to appoint a Cyborg as Praetor was a shocking one, but not unwelcome. The Njor Frames had a stained history, but the Cyborgs themselves were rightly seen as heroes and noble warriors by Noatan society and the Stellarch knew that in Noatun they could have no braver or more loyal representative than a Cyborg Commandant.



"Now that I'm on the way to the FTL Beacon I can finally write a bit in my diary again. The Noatans are a lovely people once you get to know them, but by the Stellarch they are a paranoid lot and I prefer to write in my diary without having someone figuratively (or sometimes literally) looking over my shoulder.
Yes dear future reader, I know these pages are literally published in a book, but it's very different to have your diary scrutinised in a moment I'll have you know.
Now, where were we, right, Noatun. Unlike the Stellarch I had to take the usual route to get to visit any of the Home Ships, that being Port Njor. Port Njor itself is in and of itself not too remarkable, but by its geographic position in the galaxy it's quite exceptional. While Noatun is no longer on the edge of civilised space, it certainly isn't part of the core, but just going by Port Njor you could be excused for thinking it was.
Port Njor is a massive space station, full of life and even fuller of money. It's a trade station and one of the few ones in which you can get your hands on Naumsium, which means that people and ships from all across the galaxy come here. A lot of them have even settled down in the massive station. It was here I met by contact, Jan Haraldsen, one of the Noatan diplomats responsible for communication with the Home Ships. I stayed with him for a couple of days while he negotiated my visit to one of the ships.
Port Njor is a very comfortable place to stay, like most large space stations, though I will have to admit that I found the food not entirely to my taste. For a people with easy access to all possible spices and herbs, the Noatans shun using all but a handful, leaving their food kinda… underwhelming. It's at least very filling. Plus, Port Njor has so many immigrants from across the galaxy (according to Jan, the vast majority of the inhabitants are not native Noatans) that it was easy to find some more flavourful food. I even met some interesting people while eating at a restaurant. There was a pair of scavengers by the name of Kadimba and Oskar, who apparently work with excavating and scavenging the ruins of Noatun City for old tech and relics.
But after a couple of days, Jan informed me that the Home Ship Rán was mining at the edge of the asteroid field and would be more than willing to let me visit. So off I went!
The ship-bound Noatans are not nearly as familiar with outsiders and Jan and his colleagues, but they were polite enough. The ship itself was familiar yet not. It's very old and heavily modified, but you can still see similarities with modern mining ships.
I made several notes on their art and traditions (not very many on their food though), but the main reason I wanted to visit a Home Ship is because I wanted to know their history. The Noatans insist on not writing their history down, instead preserving it via oral traditions. Thankfully, seeing as I am publishing for a non-Noatan audience, the ship's Commodore (that's what the leaders of the ships are called) allowed me to take notes on my tablet.
It went on like that for a couple of days, one of a handful of professional storytellers telling me their history and me taking detailed notes.
Once I was done with that I was informed that the ship would be heading deeper into the asteroid belt and that I would have to leave. Apparently the routes by which they travel are to be kept secret from outsiders. But this dark cloud at least had a silver lining (even though that feels like understating it a bit). The Commodore told me that I had been approved to visit one of the Cyborg Corps chapter bases. I had asked Jan about it before I left for Rán, but I hadn't actually had much hope I would be approved.
The next day, I left on one of the Commodore's personal transports and flew deeper into the asteroid belt. After several hours of what felt like just random flying, we were stopped. A group of cyborgs had flown out from behind an asteroid. They quickly connected to the ship comms system and after the pilot explained the situation we were ordered to follow them.
Their base was surprisingly small. There wasn't space for us to dock, so I had to put on my space suit and be carried by one of the cyborgs over to the entrance.
I thought they were quite scary at the time. They move in an unnaturally coordinated way and they communicate via their squad network, which means they barely ever talk. That, combined with their lack of a face made them seem like robots. Very, very, dangerous robots if one goes by the stories.
But when I got to their base, I got to meet their Commandant, one Eirik Haraldsen (Apparently the great-great-great-grandfather of Jan) and he was very different from the squad I had first met. They do have faces, these screens that can make rudimentary facial expressions (They look like ascii faces) that are honestly kinda cute. They use these solid black masks while on mission for the intimidation factor.
I stayed there for the rest of the day, mostly talking with Commandant Haraldsen. He was nice, reminded me a bit of the knights I met on Helm, except ya know, a cyborg. He explained the wide strokes of their mission (nothing too detailed) as well as their philosophy. I imagine I'll write about that in the chapter proper, so I won't go into it here.
By the end of the day I sadly had to leave, but not before getting a nice little gift from the squad which had first collected me. A pirate had tried sneakily mining the asteroid belt a couple years back and the chapter had "taken care" of him. They had collected a few trophies and among them the pirate captain's own gold engraved space helmet, which I got. It's sitting next to me on my desk as I'm writing this.
But this wasn't the final encounter I had in Noatun, no, Jan had a final surprise for me when I got back to Port Njor. Apparently, when the Praetor had approved my request (apparently only the praetor can approve meetings with the Cyborg Corps) she had asked to meet me. So yea, I got a personal audience with the Praetor of Noatun (no need to be jealous, dear reader, it doesn't suit you).
It was a short 10 minute meeting, but it was still very interesting. The Praetor is a cyborg, which would have caught me quite off guard if Jan hadn't informed me a minute before the meeting itself. Praetor Idun is a very stern woman, but seemed curious about my work and asked me a bunch of questions about my travels and by the end of the audience I gifted her a copy of the latest edition of my book.
After the meeting I ate a goodbye dinner with Jan. He'd noticed my lacking enthusiasm for Noatan cuisine and had updated the menu a bit, something I very much appreciated. The next day (that being the day I'm writing this) I said my final goodbye to Jan and began my journey to the next system."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench



Footnotes:
(1) If you want to know more about the Burning of Luyten I will especially recommend the works of my colleagues Dr K. Nanda and Dr B.L. Volkov. Their books, Harrowing of Luyten and In the Shadow of the Burning of Luyten respectively are wonderful sources on the subject.
(2) You, dear reader, might have noticed that I never specify who these two "enemies" are. That is because the nature of Noatan record keeping, that being almost purely oral, has lead to confusion on exactly who each enemy is. We can with certainty say that the two groups are the Elox System (at the time the Elox Hierarchy) and the federation of systems at the time known as the Kamachin Federation, but which was the first and which the second is unknown. I was given one version of the history on board the Home Ship Rán, but my colleague Dr J. Kowalski was given another during his visits to the system. I recommend his books Legacy of Lauritzen & Lauritzen 1-4, which goes into more detail on the post-Lauritzen & Lauritzen conflicts than this book ever could.
(3) The destuction of Noatun City would completely destroy any remnants of the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in the Noatun System. There exists a few successor companies in the modern day elsewhere, like the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Konev Company and the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Johnson Company, Noatun is not an example of this.
(4) Noatun agreed to hand over some copies of the complete formula to the Imperial court for the establishment of three Imperial Companies responsible for producing and selling Naumsium in the other three quadrants of the Empire. The Praetorship of Noatun holds a 35% stake in all these companies as a reward for the peaceful handover of formula copies for the betterment of mankind.

---

The Muses command and I write...

Wow, that's by far the longest Omake I've ever written and it was only planned and written in one day. Honestly feeling quite proud about this one. As I said in yesterdays Omake, this kind of informational worldbuilding is what I'm actually good at.

And yea, Dr Tamara Trench has been basically everywhere. If you can name a start system it's more likely than not that she's been there. She's been going strong compiling her great guide for a few centuries now (life extending tech is great). This specific chapter was first seen in the 42nd edition of her book.

Also, regarding the title of Praetor, I imagine there exists a list of standard titles (Praetor being one of them) most of the vassals use, with some societies (like the Helmsmen) getting to have a unique title as a prestige symbol.

Anyhow, this has been today's episode of of "Tamara covers up her extended vacation as a research project"

Edit 1: Forgot to add the Origins thing
Edit 2: I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone knows the book series I'm referencing in this one
Edit 3: Fixed up the footnotes a bit

/Royalist

You waited for the door to seal behind Dorothea's departure before letting out a strangled half-scream, half-laugh. "By the Codex, what the hell is my sister doing?!" You choked and your hands made a motion akin to wrapping around a certain somebody's throat. "I cannot believe it! This is what the chosen administrator of the expedition team really is like? What the hell was His Majesty thinking!"

Radana winced. "To be quite fair, all her projects have consistently reported record high earnings. There's a reason why there was only praise from those sharing gossip. Many believed her to have a golden touch, able to turn about barren planets into industrial powerhouses." She paused and sighed. "Goes to show just how well crafted her mask has been until now."

"Or more just how clever her scheme is." You ran a hand and shook your head. "I always had suspected there was something when it was mentioned that her followers either loved or hated her, but I never expected something to this scale. Even after hearing it confirmed twice, from the original informant and from Dorothea's other investigations, it stills feels so surreal."

It wasn't as if you and your sister had ever been particularly close, but you thought you had a pretty good read on her between those rare face to face meetings and the spying you've done on her followers. You had her pegged as a decent administrator in many regions, especially those related to monetary topics, and the rumors picked up by Radana from her tea parties had supported this idea. That had been why it was so shocking when she had abandoned the rest of the fleet when disaster struck, that surprising cold and callous dismissal of saving others not fitting with the profile you had made.

Now though, with the testimony from disillusioned followers, you understood your sister was not the person she showed herself to be within the halls of House Iris. Her true colors were exposed the moment it was realized there was no higher power to punish her and it became clear why despite both sharing similar talents, the First Princess and her sister had never worked together. To put it bluntly, thee two would have more likely strangled each other for coin than consider working together for the people.

It appeared that your sister had cultivated a cabal of like-minded individuals who so happened to share her preference for coin, and together they had created a ruling oligarchy where a healthy profit factor took precedence over people's wellbeing. In the time since her faction had made landfall on Andernia III, she hadn't wasted anytime in relaxing several pesky restrictions that had bothered many of her followers so. Annoying obstacles like 'protected worker rights,' 'minimum living wage,' and 'workplace safety regulations.' With those out of the way, profit margins have never been looking any better and many have heard of opulent banquets being thrown in honor of these record-breaking savings and plan further development.

Said many though was certainly not invited to these, not being part of this inner circle. But worry not, for it is actually possible to gain said invitation...by paying a near-outrageous attendance fee to do so. Ironically enough, the fact that said option existed was somehow enough to quell a part of the growing discontent and outrage, a tantalizing promise that working hard would one day earn a lifestyle far richer than what heights of the old world left behind could achieve. All they merely had to do was endure a hellish grind and get lucky.

But still some sparks of dissent were not so easily squashed by promises made up high, and that was where your sister's other policies came, the stick that paired with the carrot. The very few Brilliance Knights under her command were greatly expanded to scandalously include individuals without circuits, a necessity to fill out their numbers to carry out a new mandate of theirs: to enforce law and order in these trying emergency times. They would be granted the rank of a 'commissioned enforcer' and given bonuses based on successfully detaining dissidents. Little wonder then why it so happened that those who rose the fastest happened to be ones who turned in entire disgruntled communities, their grumbling enough grounds for needing strict rehabilitation and stolen wage repayment.

It was a vicious system, one which honored those willing to do whatever was needed to profit instead of those who looked to the past.

You rubbed your eyes and cursed your sister again. This travesty of an attempt to shift the entire cultural identity of the Helmsmen from knowledge to money was going to make it near-impossible to simply unite the divided people now, especially after that recent disastrous speech on your side! You had unknowingly stoked the flames of tradition, while your sister was clearly trying to drag a new future into being. Now public reconciliation and turnover was shot as all hell, so you frantically tried to come up with another option.

Slowly, your gaze shifted to an innocent-looking pile of papers on your desk which you knew actually contained the Solarium Codex, the priceless artifact of your people. Or was it? "Radana," You began delicately. "Hear me out."

Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. "You plan on bargaining with your sister using the Solarium Codex," She guessed in a deadpan tone.

"I plan on making a good bargain with my sister using the Solarium Codex!" You emphasized with more energy, tapping your desk. "Look, hear me out. The current state of things means that right now, it's looking like it's going to be an ugly showdown between me and her with people watching both sides carefully. But if one of us were to suddenly reveal the possession of the Helmsmen's right to rule, then undoubtedly everybody would immediately flock to that side without a second thought!"

"So why not you- oh, because it's you." Radana squeezed her eyes shut and gave a long-suffering sigh. "You just want to lurk in dark rooms all day and leave her to take over."

"Exactly! I don't really care what she does." You saw the hurt expression flash across your friend's face and winced. "Um, okay. I do care that our people shouldn't be exploited so. But that's where the beauty of this plan comes in, where since this thing is so critical that she has to be willing to concede and change her policies as part of the bargain we make! Now that we know how she ticks, the fact that she has much to profit from just a few concessions is how we get to her!"

"I see," Radana said in an unconvinced but wavering tone. You recognized her actually considering the idea, especially when she put her fingers on her chin in thought. "Assuming that you're somehow able to actually get the idea and concept through to your sister, and somehow assuming that she goes for it, then what's the guarantee?"

"Guarantee? Oh." You blinked, then grimaced. "Right. I actually should have one to make sure she doesn't just go back on her word to change. Ugh, guess I need to do a bit more work for that."

"I suppose though that you are always watching from the shadows." Your friend waggled her fingers and let out a small giggle. "Just a little casual reminder that'll have her keep straight in no time!"

"What? And let her know that I'm watching?" You asked with a frown that caught off by surprise. "No, that won't do. Remember, I'm the one that has the puppetmaster dance on a string for me!"

"Of course, Violet, I apologize for forgetting so." She raised an eyebrow. "But then what is your backup then?"

After giving it some thought, you had your solution. "We'll increase the likelihood of any reversions going very awry by giving power to our people. Actual equipment that they can use to fight back in case of the worst returning." You warmed up to the idea as you went along, nodding and already planning how it could go. "Ground, navy, and air all ready to pitch a fit if need be! Maybe even a few inspired officers who aren't afraid to follow the spirit rather than the rule."

"I cannot believe you're actually talking me into supporting your sister if this goes as plan," Radana muttered, then noisily exhaled. "But you are actually taking this seriously and if it's what you think is best, then we should begin making preparations then for a good bargaining position. I can only hope that this works out the way you've planned it."

You grinned and patted your chest. "Please, this is my best conspiracy yet! Let's send out the orders to make it so then."

Resource Stockpile: 30/30

Create a plan that you and your aides will execute over the duration of the cycle. Each person will have a general order that they will attempt to carry out at your command. Orders can be repeatedly taken by multiple characters for greater progression, but characters will be locked in the order until it is finished. Many actions will require a target.









- Lots of new options here, have a poke around and figure out what you want to do! Ground and Air designs are also now available as an option and once your ship design is done, more buildings will unlock.
- EDIT: Remember who is crafting this grand conspiracy, then consider her track record at attempting to avoid the spotlight. Not that she can't do great things, but when it comes to trying to avoid getting attention, well...
- Formatting made me unreasonably angry for a time, but it worked out.