Chapter Ten
Message Logs
: Sagacity System Benediction :
Message intercepted by N.S.S. Harbinger
Origin: Sagacity Spiral Benediction
Destination: Unknown Place/Entity identified as The Grand Archive.
Attn: Senior Archivist Trisk
I am surprised to announce the discovery and confirmation of a new Sage in the Galaxy. Witnessed by no less than twenty of our faculty and under the supervision of the Chief Examiner of the Benediction, one Nellie Bonne Chance successfully exceeded the tests in all ways. There can be no doubt and no chance of reneging on the title. The Platinum Badge kept by each Spiral in the Sagacity for this very eventuality has been awarded.
What is more, the woman’s daughter is reputed to be even more intelligent than the Sage herself!
We truly live in exciting times.
I have included the relevant forms of certification, and look forward to the swift receipt of the allocated rewards.
Regards,
Bursar Hopkins
Message intercepted by N.S.S. Harbinger
Origin: The Grand Archive (Location Unknown)
Destination: Sagacity Spiral Benediction
ATTN: URGENT! DEAN FARLEIGH
Dean, we have received and confirmed the award of the Platinum Badge; we demand the immediate transfer of the Sage from the Benediction to the Archive so she may meet her peers.
Senior Archivist Trisk
P.S. Why has the daughter not been tested yet? Is she underage?
Message intercepted by N.S.S. Harbinger
Origin: Sagacity Spiral Benediction
Destination: Unknown Place/Entity identified as The Grand Archive.
Attn: Senior Archivist Trisk
Apologies, Archivist, my Bursar made the report without telling me, and it was, therefore, incomplete in some ways. The Sage in question is NOT a member of the Sagacity. She is, in fact, the Queen of the Nanite Imperium.
She has been invited and encouraged to join the Sagacity to the best of our abilities. The daughter, likewise, is the princess of the Imperium and is currently outside of our ability to contact.
We will make the offer of testing and membership as soon as possible.
Regards,
Dean Farleigh
Message intercepted by N.S.S. Harbinger
Origin: The Grand Archive (Location Unknown)
Destination: Sagacity Spiral Benediction
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Attn: Dean Farleigh
Not only a confirmed Sage, but possibly another, and they are both in a neighboring system. I sense the guiding hand of the Scientific Method, long may it be praised, in this. I will divert all resources towards the Benediction to pursue the turning of these individuals to the way of knowledge.
You have the Grand Archive’s full support, Dean.
Senior Archivist Trisk
Message Sent From Sagacity Space by N.S.S. Harbinger
Destination: Herald Salem - Bly’s Rest
Salem -
I am on my way back with just over seventy additional people, just like I hoped. Make sure we have some extra hands and shuttles to ferry them to the Rest when we get there. Also, we might need someone to go and fetch Andy if he is still on the new planet. Some of these people are sicker than the automatic med bays could cure.
Ask Paren to make sure she is on the Rest when I get there, we need to talk.
Thanks!
Nellie.
: Imperium System Imperium Home :
Message Sent From Imperium Station Bly’s Rest
Destination: N.S.S. Taking Liberties
Marshall Crush,
I’m afraid I need to borrow your doctor again. I know you just got him back, but it is kind of urgent. Nellie’s picked up some strays and a few of them have more than fleas for us to worry about.
Regards,
Salem.
Message sent from Bly’s Rest to Queen Lucy
Destination: (Blank) System, (Blank) Station
Your Highness,
I wanted to inform you that Queen Nellie is expected to return to Imperium Space within the next few hours. I have been informed that she has some seventy new citizens with her and wanted your clearance to place them within that system under the care of Emissary Cheape
Humbly,
Herald Salem
Post Script: We would greatly appreciate it if you could relate the chosen name for the system and station under your protection. It would certainly make communications more efficient. Of course, this is at your discretion.
Message Sent from Rebirth Station, Imperium’s Redoubt.
Destination: Bly’s Rest Station, Imperium Home.
Salem,
I hope you like the names; I had simply overlooked them in case Nellie wanted to name them herself.
Regarding the new citizens, I am afraid neither the station itself nor the planet below is quite ready for new guests yet. I’m working on it but the resources here are limited, and I decided to put Remy’s Jump Gates in place first.
Now that it is all protected I am hard at work on the station.
I can let Nellie know myself, but it might be better to find a more stable home for them for now.
Lucy.
P.S. There is no need to be so formal; you can just call me Lucy. You know that.
: Imperium System Imperium’s Redoubt :
Message Sent from Mining Ship Sparklight
Destination: Unknown Station (At the time of the message, later named Rebirth)
Queen Lucy,
My ship has been undertaking a scan for mineral levels in the system and I wanted to let you know we have found something unusual on, or rather in, a moon orbiting the second gas giant in the system.
I’ll be honest; I have no idea what these readings even mean!
Umm, Help?
Captain Vicky Barnes-Cha
Message Sent from Habitable Planet (Unnambed) to Rebirth Station
Destination: Queen Lucy
Your Highness,
I apologize for bugging you so soon after accepting this mission, but I need to request some more supplies. This planet is in a very poor state, with almost no infrastructure on which to build.
Furthermore, none of my team is able to use nanites to any real level.
It is possible to do this without further assistance, but it would take a decade at the absolute minimum.
Therefore, I would like to ask if I may be assigned the following resources:
1x Power Plant equivalent to a small cruiser.
1x Machine Plant to process ores and similar raw materials into basic components and tools.
1x Construction Plant to make components for larger constructions.
1x Training Module to begin instruction of local personnel.
… (List continues for three pages)...
Thank you for your time,
Emissary Cheape.
Message Sent by Queen Lucy
Destination: Habitable Planet (Unnamed)
Cheape,
I just don’t have any of that. We have never even needed most of it before within the Imperium, and I don’t have time to access design schematics, so I am going to do the best I can for now.
I have created a new machine: A Material Processor.
It’s very simple. You put raw materials in one side and get finished products out of the other. All the nanite stuff happens independently, so don’t worry about that.
I am sending three of them down by drop-pod and having a shuttle deliver you the Generator Core of a Light Cruiser. I’ve adapted it to be a planetary power source, and it is well-shielded, but put it a little out of the way if you can. Just to be on the safe side.
Sorry, I can’t do more.
Queen Lucy.
Message Sent from Mining Ship Sparklight
Destination: Habitable Planet (Unnamed)
Hey Cheape!
Lucy told me about your problems planetside, so I am sending you what I can. It’s a crate of mining lasers and three more Boost Suits.
Good luck, and remember, no one is expecting miracles!
Vicky.