Midday on Astoria came and the gateway powered up with no issues. I make sure I have my shuttle stocked with rations and medical supplies and stored in my arm and walk through. What I see on the other side makes me a little sick.

The portal is set up on a northern top of an Eastern island in the atoll that we had connected via walkways and landfill to the largest island on the Southeastern end. Every meter of dry land has a body or a tent in it. Not only that, there is a tied-together flotilla in the center of the atoll that seems every bit as big as the landmass, maybe bigger with the flat-topped navy ships. There’s an easy fifty thousand here, and by the looks of it, most of them aren’t very healthy or well-fed. Gang activity most likely, damned greedy humans.

I see a barricade and a checkpoint setup about thirty meters from the gate and a sturdy shield activating as more people try to come in through the sides. I step away from the portal toward a grouping of men and women who look like they’re in charge.

“Ah, Admiral Astoria, glad you could join us. We were just discussing how we were going to get the sick and wounded through first in this throng of people.”

“Captain, anyone who cannot walk with assistance, needs to be shuttled to Alaris or triaged to a carrier where we can issue the requisite meds.”

“That’s not what we planned, Admiral. We have an area to the side of the checkpoint for the injured that we want to take through first.” An older man, one I haven’t seen before but I doubt I’ll have to remember him for long.

“If they haven’t been fed aether to build up a tolerance, moving them to Astoria could kill them if they are too weak to handle the aether sickness. I’ll let you make that call, but if they have accepted citizenship, and your stubborn ignorance kills my people when it could be prevented, I will have your head.” I perform a quick inspection and about half of this group has not declared for citizenship.

I sigh. I park my shuttle behind the gate, within the shield and use her comms array to hijack the shield and tune it to allow citizens and contractors only through my Empire Interface.

“I should also add, that no one that has not agreed to come as a citizen or a contractor under my laws will be allowed through. That was part of what we warned earlier in the week. I see that some of you have not decided yet. I will not ask you to leave the shield but you will face consequences should you walk through that portal.” The officers and Senior Enlisted have different reactions but I don’t much care right now to cater to their feelings on the matter. “Lets start getting people through. Start with your processing team for reception on the other side and we’ll work from there.”

It takes them a minute or so to discuss something I’m not interested in, and tap my foot angrily at their wasting time. A few people get held up at the new shield, I send them a three-month contractor’s license that they sign or get denied entry. Someone tries to get in my face about it, but then I pick them up, walk them across the shield and leave their non-contract having ass outside.

It takes them an hour of the Gateway being open for business before the first refugees make it through. I am fuming at how hundreds of people should have been through already, but it seems that yet another asshole wants to test the limits of what they’re being offered.

You should keep in mind that many of these officers have been dealing with this problem for several months. No human I’ve ever heard of appreciates someone that isn’t dealing with the same problem as them coming in and telling them how to do their job.

Which is why I haven’t spaced anyone yet. It’s why I’m letting them run the show according to their plan, despite them ignoring my advice on the logistics that we have brought to help them.

>/Alaris, how’re the transfers from Indonesia and France going?/<

>/There is some push-back in Indonesia about citizenship, but we are not hurting for people to shuttle while it is being handled./<

>/Copy, thanks Alaris. Let me know if any armed disagreements start./< she pings affirmative and leaves me to my thoughts.

We’re slightly behind demand at the processing center. The Earth navy folks are getting used to the procedures that we have put together, but they are improving at an acceptable rate.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Thanks Tessa. I’m glad you’re there.

Fourteen hours later, we’re still processing kids and their attendants and the ambulatory infirm. To my surprise, we don’t hit any major trouble until the next day, when the “important” folk start bleeding into the checkpoint trying to make deals. Checkpoint guards wave over one of the Captains and the Captain waves me over.

“This man is refusing to let any more people through the checkpoint until he can have his demands met. I figured as you are the only one that can make those concessions, it is better to hear him first than to try to strong-arm their compliance.”

“Makes sense.” I nod and walk up to a slick-haired man in a well tailored suit, backed by a random assortment of humanity with blunt instruments—perhaps a hundred or so that I can see with them, more than likely double with in the crowd.

“Hello. Why are you holding up the rescue of my citizens?”

“You’re in charge are you? Well, first, we would like to bargain to form our own independent community on Astoria. And . . .”

“No problem. But you have to be citizens of the Empire or have to be an existing group that has agreed to be a Vassal State to the Empire to be allowed that privilege.”

“How can we expect us to maintain our independence, when we . . .”

“For fucks sake, have one of the people that has agreed to Citizenship to search it and read the tooltip. While do that, step aside and allow the other refugees to pass while you do your due diligence.”

“It would be easier for me and my companions if . . .” I cut him off by summoning a shield around him and his goons, a privacy shield, and moving all of the checkpoint items 20m to the left radially. I motion for the security personnel to move and open a new section of the shield for citizens and contractors to pass through.

“Clever. A strong, but non-violent approach—put them in time-out.” The Captain that called me over says. “How long do you think that’ll last until we get overwhelmed with groups trying the same thing?”

“Hmm. I imagine no one else will try until they see how this is resolved. No one likes being told to do homework, but it’s not so unreasonable to the masses when we could be helping hundreds while I answer their questions.”

He nods at that. “What if violence breaks out?”

“Depends, if it’s just melee weapons, I’ll let your teams take care of it unless it’s some higher tech stuff. Ranged weapons in a crowd? I’ll get involved. On the other side, I’m not a believer that every person has unique importance unless proven otherwise. Citizens are more important than other humans, greater number of humans get my consideration above fewer; and I would erase this atoll to save one of my Consuls.”

“Could you? Actually do that?”

I take a look around me, seeing that the atoll was rather large. I shrug. “Maybe. But it was more of a statement of conviction. Destruction is the easier option after all. Keep these people moving Captain.” He nods as I walk away.

In another twenty minutes one of my captives starts waving with all of his limbs in a star-jump motion. I figure they’ve read their options and decided on something. I walk up and give myself permission to walk through the shields. They wanted a lot of concessions. Stupid shit like better free housing etcetera and I blanket refused. They reinforced their desire to not be citizens or vassals, I told them I would tow this bubble to any spot on Earth they wished to settle. They blanched at that and then decided to bargain down to becoming a vassal state and not paying taxes for a year. I agreed because it was the standard for all Vassalages, but they felt they won something. I file their Vassal in the Empire and allot them a spot northeast of Cottonport. I mostly expect them to give up when they realize there’s no town there and they must build it themselves.

After letting them through, we had some other groups interested in similar deals and I had to turn several away as I wouldn’t entertain groups less than fifty adults. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised how many folk just wanted to strike out in their own communities instead of building new ones in cities that already exist.

This is going to be a ton more work for Consuls Mercer and Summer, and I need to promote one of those urban planners to my cabinet. I thought we would have had six months or more to worry about all of this “new colony” garbage, but I forgot how desperate some people are to do their own thing and make something of themselves.

Says the Empress of Astoria.

If you remember, I was willing to play along until Captain McAssface wanted my friend to suffer for his personal gain. Even then, I was willing to go along until we got back to Earth. When we got abandoned, then it was all about my business. But even then, it was just because I had the power to get everyone home. I don’t think I fully wanted this until we got to Moirax and the Empire notice hit my screen.

Yes, I remember Penny. You weren’t infected with this “dream” until you saw how petty world leaders were being after you killed 70 million people that were already dying.

Seventy three and change. Getting cash and experience for culling the weak, as it were, was definitely a slap in the face and motivation to do more and accept responsibility for protecting those that I can.

Even if this goes poorly, it will be good for Humanity. You have the ability to accept the remaining population of Earth in the habitats you’ve already discovered, and they will be elevated in technology and magic. Sure, Earth is irreparably damaged, but it already was before you formed the Empire.

And yet, all I can think of now are the endless headaches these people will bring me while I’m trying to help them.