Phase One was preliminary scouting. Identifying the types and spread of stars and planets across the region was the key to phase two which was…

Expansion.

Building a new settlement was no easy matter. To build a settlement required a colony ship, expensive in its own right, and colonists drawn from an existing settlement. The best worlds usually required levels of terraforming tech. Ra had deeply considered starting with basic terraforming tech as her civilization boost, but ultimately decided that it was too much of a risk.

Perhaps there wouldn’t be many planets for her to colonize that required terraforming. Or maybe it would be too risky to expand enough to make the terraforming tech worth it. Either way, she couldn’t afford the dead weight if it didn’t work out.

Some players built up their home world, only expanding when they ran out space. Others expanded right away. Ra was the latter. Since each world could build only one structure at a time, this method would maximize the benefits of her building construction speed boost.

Ra spend her starting capital entirely on economic structures. After all, one had to be able to afford buildings to build them. Only after her income outpaced her rate of spending did she begin interweaving the infrastructure needed for ship production and technology research, methodically working her way towards colony ships.

It took two days for before the first colony ships launched, all headed for agricultural worlds, the ones best suited for rapid population growth. All except for one. The odd one out headed for a small, rocky, inhospitable world, with only a single redeeming factor: it was rich in heavy metals. Heavy metals that would be essential for warp drive technology.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The meta starting planet had some amount of heavy metals, enough to satisfy the average civilization before developing better, easier to produce warp drives. But despite racing to warp technology, Ra had no plans to continue developing her tech in the short term.

Instead, the heavy metals would serve as the catalyst to rapid exploration, powering new fleets of scout craft as she focused on settling her entire region as quickly as possible.

Her entire region. An absurd goal by almost every measure. But a goal that Ra wanted to undertake for no other reason than she felt like it.

Her instructions were clear enough that she had confidence her npc underlings could complete the project without her intervention.

In the meantime, she had other things to worry about.

-|-

Ra stood on top of a rock at the side of a lake, coat whipping the wind. The small pistol in her left hand gleamed as she aimed towards the flock of dog sized birds and fired a shot.

None of the birds were hit, but that wasn’t the purpose of her shot.

The birds dropped from the sky like rocks, plummeting towards her with intent to kill. Ra turned to the side allowing the first bird to blast past her. As the next ones followed she began to jump among the many small rocks poking up through the surface of the lake.

This was part of the two step practice routine she did every morning before classes. First she would start with target practice. Then she antagonize the birds to practice her awareness and dodging.

These were character skills, but rather personal skills, control skills. A bird surprised Ra and she took a heavy blow to her gut. She backwards into the water with a loud splash and emerged spluttering.

I still can’t react she lamented as she fled back to the safety of the town.