As I was lamenting at the fact I was being forced to hide myself wishing I had dropped on the moon or something instead I realized why. Why I had been put on the planet themselves. I wasn't just here to swat the swarm back, but to push the development forward. That made me wonder, they already had the means to deal with the swarm somewhat, with my new circuit brain I was able to extrapolate that if a war broke out in the end the locals would win. Sure they'd be beat back in the beginning but they already dealt with the fleet in orbit and are constructing ships.

That led me to wonder why I needed to push the tech level of the world forward so much when they could handle it themselves... But thinking about it I got nothing, I was still missing some evidence to get a solid solution. But still here I was in a cave with harsh lighting, haven't seen the real sky in months probably. I refused to look at my system clock to get the exact time down to the second.

I turned to my external cameras then. My resort now open every room was full of reporters trying to get some scoop on what I was building in the super secret fenced off zone. Not a single actual person here to just relax, that didn't mean the reporters ended up relaxing after a while realizing that there was no news to be had here. Their stories changed from 'I'm investigating the company' to resort reviews. One particular reporter found out how I funded this place showing my transaction records with the robotics companies and spun a story about how despite being owned by the same entity they were essentially two different corporations. That would bring up legal trouble IF it was a publicly traded company but it was not.

Because of that, my own robotics company started getting more sales, I had to upgrade production. With the factory automated and the trucks automated it required no staff so it was just cost of materials the rest was profit.

But all that money was being sent into space, almost quite literally. I was sending literally tons of metals and ceramics for construction of the catch in space. Unlike in space though I couldn't send bots to do the work. It had been a month now, and despite having no cameras in the construction base I was looking at it from the outside. A news crew was filming the construction trying to figure out it's purpose. Of course when the barrel started being constructed people were immediately accusing the government of creating a space cannon to shoot down ships in space...

I mean, they could if they wanted... But it's main purpose was to put supplies in space cheaply. If anything but the prepared capsules were shot into space the barrel would degrade with every shot and it would eventually explode spectacularly. The internals of the cannon were complete now, the robots were just putting the last of the external plating onto it now. It was very interesting to watch as six robot dogs hung upside down from a ledge welding a slab of metal to the structure.

I had yet to start on constructing the catch in space, mainly because I realized that I needed someone that would strictly follow the guidelines of construction. Not only was this ring going to catch the capsule, it also had to cool it down. The electromagnetism would heat it up immensely making it melt through any ship or station that picked it up. But I further refined the plan. Included in the catch was an automated facility that would recycle the capsules and start constructing a secret station very very slowly. With every capsule fired it would construct a station around itself until the ring itself was built up. I had already planned for an 'empty' test launch or thirty to jump start the construction.

By the time the electromagnetic railgun cargo delivery service was open the station would have its outer shell complete and no one would suspect that the spinning ring in space to catch cargo deliveries was also a fully automated station. That means whoever I sent up to help construct the thing would have to be aware and smart enough to make sure the quality was good enough. That and make sure the automated section went undetected by the other workers. That meant there was really only one person who I could send. One Cameron Hunter, he was an engineer according to his paperwork. But I knew he had a background in robotics which would help with making the automated section.

I pushed a message to him telling him we'll talk once he returns. Which was soon as he was looking suitably impressed at a four story tall railgun. Now that I think about it, he hasn't been impressed with anything I've built so far.

Of course because of the cameras and accusations of building a weapon I had to release the purpose and the plan for it. Luckily I was a robot now, so I was able to create a render to go over how it'd fire with enough force into space where it would be caught in space. Of course from there they investigated and found an orbit I had reserved and the construction bay on the station that was also reserved telling the story that I wasn't lying. Of course the government was already aware, they were keeping a close eye on everything I was doing. That meant no more stealth buying warehouses weeks ago, I had to actually go through the process in real time now. Not that I needed to actually.

With material prices rising I had made a new drill, it would tunnel away from me automatically laying its own powerline then after a few hundred miles I'd head over and hope for more ore. I wasn't allowed to harvest from the planet's core, that system from the game remained. I was a builder not a destroyer so that made sense I guess.

Cameron came back and promptly got turned down by his boss in her office. I didn't miss her comment of: "How could a guy as sloppy as him give birth to a girl as cute as her." I found that very amusing, of course Sam was loved by everyone by all the staff and the guests. She just had that cute energy that everyone loved, she was even singing her praise for her dad to the babes who were working there. No doubt that will make it easier for him, I hope I didn't just accidently give him a harem. He looked tired enough as is.

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Somehow he actually managed it. He brought one back to his room, but of course I made sure to cockblock him by sending him a message. "We need to talk, follow these instructions to meet me." I followed it up with instructions to my secret base that would be open for him to find me.

He grumbled as he left her in his room and made his way to find me.

I forgot I was giant ass robot now. So seeing him climb down the slope much too large for him felt like a direct shot of realization. The red fur of his seemed to be blending in with the grey ground for some reason. He looked up at me before looking around at all the machines I had built up. I picked up an ingot off the belt hefting it before placing it back down. He grumbled looking around again. "Where are they?"

I turned the lights of my chest on causing him to jump and back away from me. He grabbed an ingot off the belt again and pulled out a tool that he used to craft himself a crude knife. Now brandishing it at me I spoke. For the first time since I got here I spoke. "What are you going to do with a knife against me?" My voice came out clear an natural despite my new mechanical body.

He seemed to realize that a knife wont do much against a mech. "Wait... you're-" He lowed his arm with the knife.

I made sure not to move so I didn't scare him, rather just spoke. "Yeah, I'm the one who made this place. Made the plans for the resort, built that railgun in the base... Matter of fact, I'm also the reason why the military constructed that base on the other side of the mountain."

That last one threw him for a loop "Wait, why'd the military create a base for you? No wait... because of you? What exactly did you do?" He wasn't scared, or even nervous. Rather he was just purely curious. His yellow eyes caught the light making them gleam with curiosity.

I would have chuckled but it just didn't have the same effect as when I had a human body. "I fell, to the planet. I'm not from the planet as there was an invasion of aliens in the system."

That didn't get the reaction I thought it would. He laughed, hard. "Oh! Wow, do I have a story for you then." He Sat down on a machine that I turned off so it wouldn't burn him as he sat down.

"So, get this. I was on a space station, injecting plasma into a turbine mix chamber when suddenly I turn around and I'm in a different place. Then I was met with this guy, and I'm telling you I'm as straight as can be but this guy I seriously considered bending it a little just for him. He told me he needed help, his world was going to be attacked soon. That he needed my help to do it. So I only asked for my sister to come along, she's smart and all but she can be dumb sometimes. Forgetful and clumsy-"

I had to interrupt him then. "Wait wait wait- Sam's your sister?!" He blinked as if that didn't actually occur to him.

"Oh right, yeah. Forgot that part... Yeah, she's my sister. No lie, younger sister mind you. She was the runt of the litter as you might imagine-" That took me a moment to process. From what I gathered the beastmen of this world don't have litters they had babies like humans did. One or two with extreme cases being outliers. He continued explaining. "So, getting here I tried to register her as my sister but having her be my daughter worked better to remain undiscovered. Oh wait, did I explain how I got here? After I accepted I turned around and found myself already on the planet with my sister. Whoever that guy was incredibly powerful."

From what I understood, he wasn't from the same world I was. He was originally a beastman or beastman like meaning that I was changed but not him. "Anyways after arriving I got to work at an engineering company. It was by far the most boring job I've ever had, and I've had to spend time cleaning air scrubbers on backwater stations before I got here. So I moved on from that and went into robotics. But you don't want to hear my life's story what's yours?"

Right, "Well I met the same guy as you, though there was another a woman with him. He... threw me across space... like an actual throw, when I arrived I crashed into- actually I can just show you." The construction beam popped out and constructed a thin monitor that now that I saw it was the size of a building. I played my footage pausing it on the picture of the swarm creatures I saw in space.

"I arrived crashing into one of these, I was used as a literal ballistic shell to take that thing out. That damaged me and I ended up crashing on the planet." The image of the ugly meat ship was zooming out slowly as I spoke

Then a line appeared traced my trajectory to the planet. "So I ended up crash landing and made my way to the lake. I put a decoy in the lake for them to collect." The line on the screen followed my path to the water then under the water to the cave. The projection showed the outline of the cave I was carving out, mines built. Belts being placed to move the ore, a line of furnaces, it didn't stop the underground factory grew and grew on the monitor." He seemed to realize that I was indeed best used on a planet with no need to hide.

Since he seemed to realize it I continued "Now, I know that there's got to be something more than just protecting the world. Else it would be better to have to dropped down on a nearby barren world to build up an automated fleet to take the fight to the swarm ships. So, I can only gather that the threat isn't the obvious. Your existence only proves it more, you were sent here for the same reason I was but there was no fight. My guess is that you failed so they sent me since a fight was no longer avoidable." That caused him to seriously nod

"Did you notice anything strange? More than usual things that didn't quite fit in? Other than me of course." He was thinking, squinting his eyes before he sighed and shook his head causing his ears to flop around making me want to pet him.

He grumbled his answer. "The only thing 'weird' I saw, was an elf. She gave me the total creeps and I love women, so it was strange I was actively repulsed by her. But I'm fairly sure she was part of that big magic crystal monopoly the elves have."

"Yeah, I noticed the monopoly as well. As well as the controlled market, they only output the same exact amount of crystals per year. I also know that the crystals, they're plants not stone or minerals. They grow them somehow, no idea how."

Cameron nodded his head. "Yeah I read about that blue goo they were testing before the crystals shut down the project."

That I could actually show him proof of. "Ha! I actually cracked that technology, here a prototype. Not yet in mass production because I need to get materials but it'll be up soon." I materialized an already constructed and charged battery for him. "It works like a self charging battery, if it's dead just give it a bit of juice and it'll start working by itself. Simply amazing." It was the size of a brick in his hands.

He stared at it a while before he smirked at me which looked more menacing with a muzzle. "Well, it could be nothing. The company could be clean and I just hate elves, but I'm all for toppling a monopoly. Nothing good ever came out of them."