(Virtual Room in NERV HQ)
For once, things were actually going according to plan! Isaac sighed contentedly as he watched the virtual screens running through different plot lines and projections that the game’s master AI had been working on. Finally, something happening without everything going insane!
“All right, people, out in the world it is Friday night, and I have a date, so I want to run through everything one last time before heading out.” Looking to his subordinate GMs, Isaac began going through the checklist of known issues. “What is happening with the rebuilding of the logistics network in the Empire?”
“Temporary transfer stations have been set up at the location of the old sites, and things are moving along nicely. Another virtual year, and the logistics of moving cargo across the Empire should be back to pre-war standards.”
“What about the planets damaged in the war?”
“Askao VII is still a viable site for a mining colony. The primary habitation dome has been rebuilt, and new colonists are beginning to settle there. There’s a monument to the victims of the massacre, including the last broadcast of the NPC reporter who was covering the attack on the ground. It isn’t going to be back to pre-war levels for a decade, at least, though, and even that is only because the industrial nodes were relatively unscathed by the fighting.”
“The attack on Katcheka didn’t do much direct damage, but the loss of the station and disruption in logistics networks has caused coffee prices to spike due to scarcity. A replacement station is being constructed, but it will take time. There have been ‘coffee riots’ in three systems in outlying areas of the Empire due to the lack of coffee.”
Isaac shook his head. “Of course. People will ignore a lot of things, but interfere with their coffee and they get hellaciously pissed. What else?”
The subordinate GM flipped a virtual page on their virtual clipboard, and said, “Venus is a total loss, of course. Everything technological there is gone. Actually, it is more like a blank slate, due to conditions on the planet. Unlike Jagloth or Earth, the environmental conditions have quickly destroyed the Greenwave nanites, so Venus would be open for colonization. However, the number of people who would wish to live on Venus when there are hundreds of other worlds out there is not large. There would have to be some new element added to the situation to cause people to want to settle there.”
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Isaac turned, and said to one of the programmers, “Get with the Story and Design AIs, and start brainstorming possibilities. Perhaps we can program in a ‘unique reaction’ between Greenwave and the environment, causing a new power source or something like that? See what we can do to make the planet someplace to visit again.”
The first GM flipped another page, and said, “Earth… well, Earth is basically unchanged. Weather patterns are restabilizing after the global weather control systems were eaten, and the ‘sanctuary cities’ that were hastily made in the initial strike are still standing. Outside the initial Sanctuaries, tech is still Industrial Revolution level, at best. Overpopulation in the Sanctuaries is being solved by increasing recruitment for the military to replace losses from the war, and for colonization projects to head out to areas that were damaged in the fighting.”
Another GM chimed in, “Actually, I’ve been watching a group of Nomads who intend to try and start a new Sanctuary in what used to be London.”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “How are they planning to get the ‘fence’ set up and turned on without it getting eaten?”
“Brute force, apparently. The idea they floated to their investors basically entails setting off several EMPs in the atmosphere to knock out nanites in a wide area, and then rapidly deploy the fence before they can backfill. It is one of those things that will either work, or it will fail horribly. But the people going down are mostly Nomads, and the interests funding it want the acclaim of saying that they are working to help reclaim Earth for Humans.”
“I’m not liking the sound of that last bit. What do we know about this group?”
“Well, they are what we’re calling ‘human supremacists’. Basically, the sci-fi version of your gun-toting militia types. According to the plans the AI’s shown us, this is a small test, and if it works, they’re going to try and set up a major compound in North America for ‘training purposes’.”
Isaac winced. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. What about the Nomads involved? Are they part of this group?”
“Not that we can see. It looks like a case of the Nomads using the militia’s money to prove their concept, and the militia using the Nomads as guinea pigs so that they don’t lose any of their people if things go bad. So it isn’t likely to be too bad, from a PR standpoint.”
“See if we can’t insert something to have in-game officials keep an eye on them, anyways, just to make sure they don’t do anything stupid, or so people can jump on them if things go bad.”
“Will do.”
Isaac took a breath, and said, “All right, that should cover the areas affected by the war. The dungeons are up and running now, and people are loving it, which makes everything much easier. What is the word on the X’thari? Have the incursions started?”
“A few small incursions have already begun, in isolated systems. The X’thari appear to be unsure about what they are looking for, so there haven’t been any big raids, just scout ships alone or in triads, looking for prey. Their presence has been masked by the general upsurge in piracy since the chaos of the civil war started.”
“Pirates are on the move, so ships that go missing are attributed to pirates. Let that go for now, but keep an eye on it. Don’t want it spiraling out of control, like some of the previous issues.” Isaac took a breath, and said, “So, anything else that needs to be talked about before we break?”
When no one answered, Isaac smiled. “Damn, first time that’s happened since launch! Good work, everyone. See you all later.”