Chapter 231

Red Sands Desert, Principality of Rebirth

Dungeon Factory, Command Center

Alexandra sighed as she sat down in front of her daughter. She'd rather not have used the teleport talismans -they were exceptionally expensive, and had to be enchanted by hand by her or Emilia, and their time was a very precious commodity-, but right now she needed to have a talk with her daughter. She could worry about the cost later.

CQ fiddled in her seat, which had been brought in a few minutes ago by the maids, and set up in front of the command chair.

"Look, kiddo. I have to make it clear from the get go." Said the dungeon core. "Those ship AIs aren't going to be your siblings. Friends? Sure, that's up to you, and to them. But not siblings. I…" She sighed. "I hadn't expected to have you as my kid to begin with. I'm happy about it, but it was unexpected. And quite honestly, I don't know if I'd be able to handle more children. But that's not all. The ship AIs…I'll be sending them into battle, and since they aren't bosses…I don't know if I can bring them back after death."

"Oh. So they can…die die? Like my puppy?"

"Yes. Like your puppy. If they die, it may be game over. That's it, end of the line."

CQ looked down, and slowly nodded.

"Okay. I understand. So they'll be…colleagues?"

"Something like that. Or honorary aunts, like Sarah and Ella."

CQ nodded, enthusiastically this time.

"Right! Because they're all squishy as well!"

"Well, they won't be squishy."

"Everything is squishy mom. You just need to apply enough force."

Alexandra opened her mouth, and closed it. What could she say? The kid was right.

Furthermore, that's something she would say. Something Arcadia would say.

"You're absolutely right." She chuckled. "That's something I would say."

"I'm a good learner. So, I can still teach them stuff, right?"

"Sure thing. Though they'll be, you know, ships."

"That's alright. I'm sure they'll be able to teach their golem marines how to punch someone in the face, or how to eviscerate them."

"...You've been sparring with your aunts again, I take it?"

"They got tired of me crushing them at cards."

"Well, they were going to start wisening up eventually."

"Yeah, but I didn't get everything I wanted!" Said CQ in a plaintive tone.

"Not…you were betting?"

"Yeah! If I lost, I got some stickers and things done for them. If they lost, they got something from the town for me!"

"We can't run contraband for that."

"Oh, just legitimate stuff! Like new paints." Alexandra nodded. After decorating her boss room, CQ had found herself with a bit of an artistic streak. She still had more enthusiasm than experience, but she had minute control over her own body and perfect memory. It was incredible what someone could do with those, and some of her frescoes were famed among the adventurers. "Also, upgrades for my clothes!"

"Upgrades?"

"Yeah! I was doing some modeling and stuff for new uniforms!" The boss held up a finger, and rummaged into her pouches, before pulling out a substantial stack of schematics. "Here!"

Alexandra looked at the first sheet, and her eyebrows rose.

Those were…good. As in, really good. She sucked at making things look pretty, and as much as Emilia liked dressing up, she wasn't exactly a couturier of high fashion either. The Earth-born started going through the stack, whistling softly.

There was everything in there! Detailed dress uniforms for her golems of every branch, with special ones for officers, certain specialists, rank tabs, insignas, and-

Alexandra closed her eyes, before tapping one of the papers.

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"CQ, those are awesome, but…no. Not this."

"Why? It looks good!"

"We can't use human skulls as part of a uniform. Much less as faces for the golems!"

"Why? It gets the message across! All the security teams do is kill people."

"Well, yes, but we also have visitors, and I'd rather not spook them."

"I thought you liked spooking the baroness."

"Well…" Alexandra licked her lips. It was so much easier when her daughter was younger. "Yes, but we can't afford to spook them indiscriminatly."

"Aaaah, so special occasions then?"

"I…you know what, fine." If nothing else, they could test the uniform's effect on Allya, and watch her reaction. That'd be worth the trouble. "But we don't make the skulls out of bone. Only metal. If nothing else, it'll be cheaper, and an interesting challenge for the smiths. Plus we'll be able to wire some extra stuff into them."

"Oh, xray vision!"

"That's not very useful, and-" Alexandra blinked. "Wait, how do you know what xrays are?"

"...Seraph's, uh, stuff?"

"Shows, you mean."

"Yeah."

"And what did they do?"

"I dunno. It sure got that character beat up though. Something about clothing?"

"Alright, excuse me, I need to talk to Seraph. And make a content filter."

"But-"

Alexandra got up, and waggled her finger under her daughter's nose.

"No 'buts'! I'm your mom, and I decide what you get to watch in Seraph's library. Unless you'd rather I revoke access altogether?"

"No!"

"Thought so. Now-" Alexandra sighed, closing her eyes as the alert popped up. "Now, I have to deal with the baroness, and her coterie of idiots upstairs."

"Can I come?"

Alexandra opened her mouth to say an automatic 'no', but shrugged instead.

"Sure. I'll possess a golem. You'll have to make it fast tho-" Alexandra blinked as her daughter vanished in a flash of energy.

Right. Short range teleportation.

Wasn't that going to be fun when they'll have to ground her for the first time.

The alert repeated.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming!" Said the dungeon core, to no one in particular, before stepping out of her avatar and plunging into dungeon mode.

*****

"Well, good news is, they're not nukes." Said Eismi as she paced in front of the assembled council.

"Bad news?" Asked Allya.

"Bad news is, they're hypersonic missiles with reactionless engines, plasma warheads, and shield penetrators." The artificer sighed as everyone looked at her. "Yes, I studied Old World military technology. It may amaze you to know that there isn't really civilian stuff left of these maniacs and that ninety percent of my job is aping their stuff with what little we know now."

"Quite." Said Alexandra, diplomatically. Her golem, with its occasionally flickering hologram, garnered a few uneasy glances, but nothing as startled as the looks people gave CQ. People could just feel she wasn't possessing the boss, and they seemed very weirded out by that, since they associated her as an extension of the dungeon core, not someone else entirely. At least she'd made sure to tell her daughter that this would be a 'learning experience', IE shut up and listen. "The question is, what to do with them?"

"Easy. I exercise my right as lady of this land to requisition them as part of my salvage share." Dominique opened her mouth, and Allya nailed the guild representative with her best stare. "Unless the adventurers guild would like to lodge an objection over me grabbing weapons to help my people and my lieges against our sworn enemies from Sunrise?"

Dominique closed her mouth with a snap and a heavy swallow, slowly shaking her head. Given the mood in the room, that was a smart move.

"Good." Said the baroness. "Now that that's handled, Holy One, are these weapons useable under the edicts?"

The priest, who had exceptionally joined the council for this particular session, nodded.

"If your analysis is accurate, then quite. The fires of the Old World must never be kindled again, but the edict does not forbid all that may bring a cleansing flame upon the unworthy. If I may have one of my own examine the weapons, briefly?"

Allya almost twitched. So the priest had come here with an Old World technology expert. That was just perfect. But it was to be expected. They'd planned for that eventuality. Extensively.

"Of course. I will instruct my guards to allow them access."

"Thank you, my lady. Still, if these weapons are indeed radioactive in some form, I must insist on an increased medical regimen for those that have been, or will be, in proximity of them."

"It will be done. How goes the construction of the temple?"

"Quickly. Quite quickly. Your people are exceptional builders my lady."

"Eh, thank Elkaryos. He's the one who hired the geomancers."

"Perhaps, but they work with an energy and unity of purpose that can only come with truly exceptional leadership, and boundless faith's in one's ruler."

Allya looked at the priest, trying to gauge if the priest was trying to flatter her or…

Damn. He was being genuine.

"Well, thank you for the compliment."

"It is not a compliment, just the simple truth. Our efforts to bring life back to the wastes has also borne considerable fruit, though I'm sure you have noticed."

Allya smiled.

"It would have been hard not to." Especially once the sand between the mesas turned into dirt and suddenly there was green as far as the eye could see. For someone who had spent the last year in a desert, it was quite the shock to see something as mundane as grass. Or flowers that weren't in a pot for that matter. The smell had hit her the hardest, especially, you didn't realize how much you missed mundane things like that until you were reminded of them. "It seems to be very popular as well."

"These endeavors are usually amongst our most popular." The priest cleared his throat. "Though I will freely admit that it poses some problems as well. There have been some…ill advised attempts to offer undue compensation to my people, and myself, in exchange for having certain areas given special consideration."

Allya froze.

"What kind of 'special consideration', exactly?"

"Usually along the line of speeding up, or slowing down revitalization, alongside sneaking in some invasive species detrimental to, say, farming."

"I see." Perhaps doling out some parcels for corporations in advance hadn't been the smartest move after all. Damn it. "If it moves beyond the mere offering of 'compensation', do alert me. I trust in your integrity, and the capacity of the Temple Guard, but I will not have a priest of the Gods blackmailed or threatened on my watch."

"I am quite sure you wouldn't have any of your citizens blackmailed or threatened on your watch my lady, but I will contact you if things do progress beyond this."

"Thank you. Now, while we're all assembled, we might as well do the warplanning session, unless someone would like us to adjourn for a few hours?" Everyone shook their heads. "Excellent then. Let us begin. Calder?"

"The fleet is undergoing resupply, and should be ready to depart for Erakis, with Crystal's secondary core, shortly. Overall, as a shakedown cruise, it could have been far worse. I'm still not comfortable using it in an offensive manner, especially not in the distances involved to Darthar. Attacking the enemy as he's on our doorstep is one thing, crossing the entire wasteland to do it is another entirely."

"Agreed. We'll need proper logistics. And we have started on that." And by 'we' she meant Alexandra, but at that point everyone had more or less accepted them speaking as one voice. "Speaking of which, with the…satisfactory test, we have raiding units ready to go."

Everyone sat a bit straighter, especially Melia.

"You're ready to send help to Darthar?"

"If by 'help' you mean 'annoy and harass the ever living crap out of Sunrise', then yes." Said Alexandra. "We can't take that army in a straight up fight. Especially since we can't move our army across the wasteland."

"We should have confiscated that kraken repellent." Said Willard, before having the startled air of someone whose mouth got ahead of their brains. "I don't mean to-"

"Don't worry, the criticism is fine, and quite warranted. However, in this case, it would change nothing. They would need the repellent to get back to Erakis anyway, and the Republic's army is still a long way away, even with their supply lines shortening." And remaining free of piracy. "But as soon as they arrive, I'm sure they'll be more than willing to trade it in exchange for…specialty assistance." She smiled. "I'd just love to be a fly on the wall when the senate finds out what Amelia is going to be prosecuting her little war with."

Willard cleared his throat.

"Speaking of…"

"Yes, the supplies for Sarth. We're undergoing final testing on the ships. First launch is expected by the end of the week."

"Thank you! My uncle will not forget this, I assure you."

He better not, since we're planning on carving out a piece of his domain here, thought Alexandra.

"And I believe you. Now, the raiding units will be simple at first. A barbone squadron, three raider-class corvettes and a corsair-class frigate, all packed to the gills with marines, ammo and supplies. We'll work our way to bigger guns, with siege ships, later."

"Are you going to try to run the blockade?" Asked Melia.

"No. Not yet. I want first to get their attention elsewhere. Those ships will have supplies for extended attacks by the marines. Make no mistake, this won't be smash and grabs like with the Republic. This will be a straight up attack meant to damage the enemy's combat potential and acquire as much intelligence about their tactics and capabilities as possible."

Everyone nodded…except Ellyana, who cleared her throat, and leaned forward.

Oh, here we go, thought Alexandra.

This was going to be 'fun'.