Engine of an Empire

Chapter 26

Engine of an Empire

The month that followed was a blur of relentless, furious creation. The Stasis Station, silent for fifty thousand years, was now the heart of a burgeoning industrial empire, its ancient forges burning with a new and vibrant purpose. The rhythm of their lives changed from one of desperate survival to the complex, demanding schedule of founders building their enterprise from the ground up.

Their initial Iridium pipeline, run by the first two automated Quarry vessels, became the engine for everything. It was a constant, 24/7 operation. The two crewless ships would depart, jump to the Iridium moon, execute their flawless mining routine under the watchful eyes of their Oculus drone escorts, and return with full cargo holds. Kael, now acting as a high-stakes commodities broker, would then anonymously sell the ore in massive, multi-million credit blocks to the Red-Forge Shipyards NPC corporation. Their "Warden's Echo" bank account swelled at a rate that was hard to comprehend.

Zana immediately put the capital to work. She became a phantom on the Galactic Trade Network, a ghost with an endless appetite for high-end industrial components. Using their new wealth, she bought everything they needed, not in small batches, but by the crateload. Shipments of Gallium-Arsenide Wafers, Yttrium-laced Superconductors, and reinforced Carbon-Nanoweave Plating were discreetly purchased from a dozen different suppliers and routed to a series of rotating, anonymous dead-drop locations.

While the Echo scout ships, now also automated with Servitor pilots, raced across the sector to retrieve these components, the Forge was never idle. Under Kael's meticulous supervision, it began to replicate itself. More Mining Servitors were built. More Oculus Drones were assembled. And after a week of intense reverse-engineering, Kael successfully deciphered the Quarry's schematics, allowing the Forge to construct four more of the massive mining vessels. Their ghost fleet grew.

While the droids and the Forge handled the industrial labor, Jax dedicated himself to his own training. The Kinetic Chamber was his domain. Day after day, he pushed his connection to the Force, guided by the Warden's silent tutelage. His clumsy telekinesis became a powerful, precise tool, allowing him to assemble complex machinery with a thought. His shields became stable and resilient. His control over energy projection grew from a small spark into a focused, potent lance of power. He was no longer just a key; he was becoming a master of the current that flowed through all things.

The final piece of their plan fell into place at the end of the month. A scout drone returned from a distant, uncharted system, its logs confirming the location of a planet rich in high-purity Gallium—the last major raw material on their list.

That evening, the three of them stood on the bridge, a tactical map projected in the center of the room. The display was a testament to their incredible progress. Four glowing icons, each representing an automated mining fleet, were now active across four different secret star systems, harvesting Iridium, Yttrium, Carbon, and now, Gallium.

Kael looked up from his console, his face beaming. "It's done," he announced. "The last fleet is operational. All raw material pipelines are now under our direct control."

Zana stared at the map of their small, clandestine empire. A look of profound satisfaction settled on her features. "As of today," she said, her voice quiet but ringing with power, "we are one hundred percent self-sufficient. We no longer need to buy a single component from the outside galaxy. The Forge can now build anything in the library, entirely with our own resources."

Their start-up phase was over. They had achieved what no other player faction had even dreamed possible.

But Zana was not celebrating. Her eyes were fixed on the four vulnerable points of light on her map. "We have the engine," she said grimly. "But it's built of glass. It's undefended."

She swiped her hand, and the resource map was replaced by two new schematics: the sleek, menacing design of the Interceptor-class combat ship and the blueprint for a heavily-armored, weaponized droid designated the "Phalanx-class Battle Droid."

She looked at her team, her eyes hard as steel.

"Our work isn't done. We just built the treasury," she declared. "Now, we build the walls. We need soldiers."