Stories of Progress [Eteru/Richard]

Richard was certainly learning alot about Heulyn... If half of it was really true then he wouldn't mind having a friend like that. Though he didn't hold out much hope for her being able to tell him why he was dropped on this planet to begin with. Still he was looking forward to eventually meeting her.

Richard was rather happy to hear that they were looking into a long term investment for Progress, it meant he didn't have to worry about them bleeding them dry just to make a profit. More weight off of his shoulders in that case. "Well I certainly can't fault that, with the pace we're at it would be a good investment to make. Not to toot my horn anyways..." He says with a slight smirk before he comes around with his decision. "I suppose I don't need much more convincing. All there is too it now it to make it official."

Aiayse gave a smile as she went to help Richard go through the process. Nothing too crazy given it was merely laying down the foundation for future developments to grow from. Progress and even Alexandria to an extent are woefully underdeveloped when compared to their neighbors. The Solar Empire included as they arrive here with more resources than they do. No to mention whatever help comes from the Firstborn Kingdom. While they know they need to be vigilant in being cautious in growing they have to play catch up for a long while. Even when Heulyn might be granted control over Union demesne. Angelarium is a distant world in comparison to Iammelon at large. Practically on the outskirts of civilized space. Which in itself poses several issues. The biggest being a more likely target for pirates like the Artodeme who might see easy pickings. To sum it up, it's one more weakness that they have to cover eventually. Of course Angelarium defenseless is not the only flaw that needs correcting. All in all a lot of work is ahead for the young powers of the world.

Finishing the last of the nuances they were finished. Progress is now a protectorate of the Free State of Alexandria. “I speak on the behalf of Alexandria that we’re happy to have warm relations with Progress.” She exclaims happily. The process over she felt was proper to see if any more business was to be done. As an Transamziel it was their cultural custom to make as much use out of their time as possible for peak efficiency. “With that finalized. Is there anything else you like to talk about?” She inquired. They were a well of information that she was sure that Richard would like a drink from it. He seemed like the type to go after knowledge.

Going through the process of making Progress a protectorate state was made easier with Aiayse though Richard certainly got to grips with the process quickly. Richard being the careful person he was meant he had already considered the likes of pirates, smugglers and slavers being an issue for a small state like his along with the rest of the planet. Though that was why he sent his shadows out scouting into the mountains, since they could go undetected by the average soldier he could certainly help uproot any pirate outposts or bandit strongholds. But overall they did need to deal with how defenseless they were from larger powers.

After that was all said and done, Richard sighed happily now that it was all out of the way, though Sammy had frankly nodded off in his lap. "We look forward to a long and happy relationship with Alexandria and its leadership." Richard replied as he then took on what she had to say next. He knew all too well that he needed more knowledge to get by, his knowledge of all this futuristic technology only got him so far. He came from a feudal era world before winding up here. Then again, he was rather lacking in knowledge of the world that was now his home thank to his other Transamzil friend filling him in. "Well, now that you mention it. I wouldn't mind learning more about Angelarium. I was around before the planet got alot greener, only recently was I told I barely know anything about the true depth of the history of Angelarium."

Aiayse gave him a look. From what she could tell he only seemed to learn that there is more to the story. As such it’s understandable to wish to know the gap of information. “Hmm depends what you wish to know. I don’t even know the extent of your understanding.” She noted in a casual manner. “But to summarize for you. Roughly two thousand years ago a ship from the Auinozoaun Universe crash landed on what was a barren world. There was nothing unique about it before they came. A lonely planet dancing around a star near the region of the Anubite Empire. There is some evidence of activity on here. Ships that crashed landed here or perhaps a traveler who wanted an isolated place to bury some treasure. Other than that we’re still combing through Angelarium to learn more about the world.” There wasn’t much to have a thorough study on. The last two millennia was nothing if not a prolonged tantrum from a hyper advance AI that lost all sense of rationality and patience. The world was her stress ball and it showed.

Richard listened closely, when she mentioned that she had no idea what the depth of his understanding was he did seem to perk up, though he waited until after she was done explaining some points of history to him. "Well I do actually have a well documented account of everything I learned while scouring the ruins, facilities, bases and laboratories before Angelarium was recently revitalised. I have no idea what it was like before the hell it was before. Though it isn't something I can fit into a satchel and bring here." He says before just mentioning a basic rundown of the history he knew from what he had personally pieced together.

“The two millennia is already documented.” Aiayse replies as gently as she could. She knows how it feels to have information that turns out to be redundant. The ship came with assets that broaden our understanding of Angelarium. As well, complex tools far advance than our level of development could develop. One such innovation you probably have already seen outside in the air. E-Dust, the end product from our new infrastructure of nanobots and nano-computers.” The information drop of one of Alexandria vital resources was intentional. For what reason remains to be seen. “The Auinozoaun Ship Terminus Respite brought many treasures with it. Many that can change the world in many ways. It’s for this reason why we are handing control over to Miss Heulyn. We Transamzielean are not nation builders. At least not in a universe of hard matter.” That said she looked down to the screen. “In regards to building a nation. How is your industry?”

It did sting, to hear and now totally confirm that his work was obsolete did still leave Richard with a bitter pill to swallow. Not much can be done about it now, he'll still keep them for personal reasons and bragging rights that he had it all before the recent 'new era' began. Even if it was a shallow attempt to keep what shreds of pride he had intact. "Ah. I should have guessed it was true then. I did already hear from someone else that it was obsolete."

Listening again, he did become interested in the nanobots and computers. He quickly started to question why she would tell him this but he decided to keep an open mind, someone in her position wouldn't show her hand without a reason, and he felt he may come to hear that reason. "Our industry? Budding, much like the rest of our amenities, though we don't lack raw materials. We don't have a focus at the moment, we're just trying to reach a stable point before we can think of specialising in something."

“Stability is certainly key.” She gave a simple nod of the head. It is after all one of the reasons why Alexandria won’t demand anything from Progress for a while. The more money is flowing into development the more a province grows. The more it grows it yields more produce and more stuff to tax on. As well make products for mercantile purposes. “The reason I ask is that we have been planning to set up a production for artificial life. Androids for material matters and Homunculi for the immaterial. Later on we aim to establish a tight market on AI’s. One of the prerequisites we have to do before then is prove the validity that AI’s are safe and highly efficient before we introduce them into the wider market. As such we have a plan in store that involves us making an offer to some small party a free batch of AI’s. Who may take it and have them do some manner of task. So what I’m offering you are batches of AI that you will use for many manner of purposes. Whether it be for industry, being a guardian for orphans, police force, and the like. You get the idea.” When a few years go by, Alexandria will use Progress as proof that AI’s are very beneficial.

Hearing what exactly she had in mind, hearing the total reasoning behind it. Richard seemed more and more interested by the moment before he started to silently deliberate with himself. The notion of creating artificial humanoids was something that interested him, something that... Gave him an idea of sorts.

[Creating these Androids to be used for various tasks. I suppose I've already done alot of my own programming for eating, getting drunk, sleeping, feeling pain and such with magic... I wonder if it could be translated over. At the very least it would be a start. The applications they can be used for would mean that I could divert my Echoes to other tasks... Out of sight, out of the Anubites mind.]

Thinking on this, he might be able to do quite a bit of help in this. Though he was interested in how they would get this started when they just finished their work on the E-Dust. "I'll admit, I'm interested. having some extra hands and help would certainly go a long way. Though some serious renovations would need to be done if we're going to help with production."

“As said, ‘we’ as in Alexandria will handle the production in the beginning. It’ll be many years until Progress would have the industry to handle resource intensive projects that wouldn’t be a hindrance on other areas of the infrastructure. So don’t feel the need to rush.” The main goal after all is to set up a strong economy which she expects Richard will do with the batch. “The first batch of Androids is a flat 5,000. All individually unique just as those with flesh and blood. Function nearly the same I may add. While they may have circuitry instead of blood. They have synthetic skin grafts and a functioning reproductive system. Well, the male androids are anatomically correct but they are sterile. The point is, they will be a close part of the community. One day they’ll start families of their own and make their own traditions. Adding to the overall unique culture of Progress.” It’s ideal to have a populace feel like they are in this together. One of the common pitfalls of a society with artificial life is that they become apathetic as they become overly dependent on the AI’s.

Richard listened along with what she had to say, immediately he was rather surprised that he would be getting a surprise population boost of 5000 residents and from the sounds of it he's to expect more in the future, though he was plenty happy that he would get them to help with whatever he needed getting done. Though there were some issues there.

Though the real surprise came when she informed him that these androids, the females anyway, had perfectly functioning reproductive organs. That was something that he quickly covered Sammy's ears for, not much to worry about seeing as she was still napping, though he was looking pretty surprised that such a thing was possible. "That's... Actually really incredible. W-With that kinda of... The population has a greater chance of increasing like that. Real personal investment for the most part too... Though male androids being sterile does mean that most woman that will want kids will either have to find another way to get pregnant or adopt. Which isn't terrible. Though there is still the issue of housing, I've been working on having tens of houses available, to suddenly get so many androids... The extra help is good but it will be months before I can reliably house all of them even if I have them settle down with people willing to have them stay in their homes for a time."

Giving it some thought, Richard could see what Aiayse had in mind for the future. Progress becoming a beacon for how Androids were a benefit and huge step forward, something he could see catching on in the other Empires, especially the Solar Empire. "Have you thought about pitching this to those Athailian's? They like their robots, and from the few I interacted with before setting up Progress. It sounded to me like before they ended up here they had similar constructs to the Androids we have now. Though it doesn't look like they have those anymore, most of what they have is simple security mechs and such. Having access to their advanced facilities would really help wouldn't it?"

“Oh housing won’t be an issue. We can easily set up a housing district” She piped up before the topic went into the Solar Empire. She looked down at the map. A small sliver of the east coast colored to represent land owned by the Athailians. “It’s not wrong to think that. A logical thought after all. But at the current moment the Solar Empire is currently unimportant. Not to say Heulyn won’t interact with them. Just that at the moment they are not a part of the bigger picture.” Looking back up to the man she felt she may have been a bit blunt so she sought to clarify herself. “Heulyn will be in the possession of a great legacy that she gave birth to. All of Amzielean marvels and wonders will be in her hands. Bottomless arcane might at her beck and call. Through her she will share great things with not only Amzielean, but to all those who live on Angelarium. This isn’t an exaggeration either. The Anubite Empire is aiming to keep a tight lid on the truth of Angelarium existence from the rest of the Union. That is how valuable this world is. Especially Heulyn Lloyd.”

Looking down to the table she reached her hand to the screen. Going through some windows to pull up a image of something mind-boggling. “You heard of the Ishnar exodus yes? Tiamat forces Ishnarian to flee into this universe. The one important fact to know that it wasn’t the whole race. Ishnar is a country after all, one of the few among the remaining Amzielean. Auinozoaun was a big universe, so there were places Tiamat could not reach. This was one of such unreachable locations. But before I continue with my point I have to give some history for context.”

“In 2103 C.E. Hatheleisia had been in contact with BB, the former Administrator before she abdicated to Juliette. BB currently refuses to ‘declassify’ the full record but from what we do know. Hatheleisia said to BB that she’s generally going away for a while. Afterwards she ordered BB that the next time they meet, she might need help remembering who she is and what she became. This is where everything spirals into guesswork and theories. As recorded by the Moon Cell, which range is only 20 AU, Hatheleisia left the solar system and never returned.”

“Till the complete collapse of Amzielean Civilizations sometime during Auinozoaun Degenerate Era. Hatheleisia’s legacy, Chaulkuau would come to unite Eaeireth then spread out amongst the stars. Built on her ideals it would endure for a very long time before a culmination of events and ideological drift saw Amzielean break away from Hatheleisia’s model. Forming into one of the many iterations of the Ishnar state. Of all thirty-two runs none of them ever reached the peak of Chaulkuau prosperity or even reached a quarter of its lifetime. The last Ishnar was only twenty-three millennia old when Tiamat drove what was left of Ishnar into this universe. Incidentally Hatheleisia is seemingly reborn in this period as Heulyn Lloyd and becomes consumed by Tiamat forces. Sending her soul deep in Tiamat’s gut where she would experience a dreamless sleep as Tiamat lives on in the Auinozoaun Universe until it came to an end with the evaporation of the last black hole at the end of Auinozoaun’s lifespan.”

““With the nature of general relativity and other variables. Tiamat migrated into this universe. Crash landed on Angelarium with the rest of the Auinozoaun Remnants aboard Terminus Respite. Looping back to the main topic. One of the Amzielean civilizations survived the culling. One wholly located in this one location. The As-Iku Birch World. The only one of its kind in the entire Auinozoaun universe. And had served as a major hotbed for refugees coming from all over when the universe gradually aged into nothingness. Terminus Respite made ‘frequent’ stops by As-Iku for repairs. One day while in deep space the ship lost signal with As-Iku. Its fate is note the important part of this story. What is important is that it’s largely believed that As-Iku is one of the rare attempts to have gotten close to the Chaulkuau model, Hatheleisia’s Legacy.”

“What that means Richard. Is that even countless years after her disappearance. To when Auinozoaun was in its final death knell. Her influence was still felt across time and space. That is how much of a splash Heulyn can make. I don’t have to make an educated hypothesis that eventually in the distant future. All of Hoshizora will be touched by Heulyn’s influence one way or another. This is why the Anubite Empire is invested in Angelarium and why Alexandria is trying to get everything ready for transfer of power over to her.” She finally looked back down to the screen. Exiting out of the image to return to the map. “I’m positive Heulyn will find some use out of the Solar Empire. But for now it’s in best interest that we don’t interact with them yet. As it would mean more things for Heulyn to catch up on.”

Richard was actually pretty surprised that a new housing district was going to be handled by Alexandria, thought before he could really say thanks for this he listened carefully to what she had to say about their current stance on the Athailian Empire. In truth he didn't care much for the race of hornball reptilians but he did know they were pretty good with robotics and that Anastasia was currently there, so mentioning them was only natural in that case. Still, he listened well to this history lesson and the reasons why they would not be brought in. Though the way he was being told was making it sound like Huelyn was some kind of divine being made flesh.

Once she stops, he does accept the reason why the Athailian's won't be brought in on this yet. Catching up on so much would be a serious pain in the ass. "Alright, seems reasonable enough. I wouldn't to be in her position but I'll respect that we don't need them yet."

With that said the meeting was finished. Everything that could be talked about had been exhausted so there was little need to prolong it. So she went to wrap things up and state once again that Alexandria is looking forward to future interactions with Progress. Richard was free to head back to his home with the knowledge of a bright future for Progress.

Once everything was done with and they are free to go, Richard shook Aiayse's hand and said that he looked forward to them working together. Once they leave Rich carries Sammy on his back all the way to Progress, after laying her down in bed he spreads the word to what was going to happen in the coming days   along with what he and Alexandria had come to agree to.

Not everyone was thrilled with the sudden changes but they certainly appreciated being kept in the loop. So while things were being prepared for the androids to arrive along with the crews coming to build the new residential district, the residents worked hard to make sure their arrival would at least be celebrated.

While that was all ongoing however, Richard finally saw fit to look into something that had been annoying him since Abraham left. Letting Sammy rest, he went to the spot where he saw that 'glitch' that appeared right after Abraham departed. Travelling to the spot just within town, he started to investigate the area to see if anything was wrong with the area around them.

The result from the extensive search reveals nothing out of the ordinary. At least from what is seen by mundane methods. When magical means is used Richard would get the sense that something brushed against the veil so to speak. In a manner when water heaves when a marine animal swims close to the surface but not enough to break it. Something was moving through here and it happened to cause an impression on reality. There was a sense of residue of a spiritual presence that still lingers. But it felt wrong compared to normal souls. It felt like cold filaments bundled up in a fractal manner.

Well of course Richard would go for the magical approach first, though upon finding this strange occurrence this... Weak point in the veil between reality and whatever lies beyond. Richard was stumped, wondering why this appeared after Abraham left... Though speculations certainly came quite. "Is... Is this here because he helped Anastasia through the system abit faster... Entwining our fates together as he did?"

Thinking on it more, it may be bad if this weak point were to break and something comes through. Especially if something comes through and demands he finally dies or something. "Might be best that I try and repair the damage. Leaving it is a nono." He says as he places his hand over the damage in reality, trying to repair it himself using the power at his desposal.

There is no damage in reality. There was nothing to indicate that anything happened in the first place beside the residue. Incidentally the residue will fade away with time. Leaving whatever happens be a mystery in the coming weeks. Sometime later some workers from Alexandria would come to set up a small neighborhood with the use of E-Dust to create entire housing complexes in a short amount of time. The contractors went ahead to build other things to help kick start the local economy. Around this time the androids would arrive. Who are so technologically advanced that they are indistinguishable from organic lifeforms. Even down to how they behave and interact with other people.

The intermingling would go without any big issue. Soon enough they will become a productive group to Progress society. For foreign matters not much happens mainly due to the fact of how few countries there are on Angelarium. It may very well take a millennia or two for the map to be filled in, let alone developed. Even with the use of E-Dust it will take a good century for any space industry to get up and running. While not important at their current state they all know that Alexandria will become a point of interest in the not too distant future. That eventually other nations will learn of their existence and if they look deep enough. Find the connection to an outside power, the Ishnar. For a union based on democratic values, many may not take the fact that one of the members is in contact with another intergalactic power lightly. Considering their past experiences with other intergalactic powers having been not the best moments in the nebula history.

On the subject of Ishnar. Not much was heard from them. Which in itself is a good thing for all parties involved. The distant Amzielean see little purpose in interacting with a galaxy so far away. Not to mention the more they get involved the larger the fallout may occur when their relationship becomes known. Thus for the time being things are quiet between the Ishnar and the Hoshizorans. On a more local level the town as promised gets visited by Abraham every now and then. He seems to be doing well. Things are fairly idyllic given the calm nature of ambassador work.

Richard was still curious about it, as he saw that it was not really a damaged tear in reality, he still kept an eye on it as it faded in the coming weeks ahead as Progress started to be developed over time. Once it was finally gone Richard still kept an eye on that spot to see if anything changes.

Though as the new residential district was constructed in such short a time thanks to the E-Dust that surprised pretty much everyone in Progress, their leader Richard included, it brought his attention elsewhere as the new arrivals started to appear. He was rather happy that his people were happy and accommodating of their new neighbours as people quickly started to form connections with the new Android residents.

He was equally happy that the industrial capacity of Progress was being brought into the modern era, and thanks to the scouting he was doing before they he had knowledge of the resources he would need to supply his growing industry power. And with the growing population and advancements in Progress, Richard saw fit to create a council made up of prominent citizens made up of Amziels and Androids, the council was made so that they could help Richard govern over affairs and developments that would need his attention along with them managing things like developing education, police, agriculture, healthcare, potential tourism and other such things too.

And when he and Samantha had some free time, they met with Abraham as he came to visit, enjoying time with their ambassador friend as things progressed around them for the better. Richard held off on asking Abraham about the glitch that occured, he felt that it was something he should wait for a good time to ask about.

The lull of the world continues in its warm, sunny days. The land nears the summer solstice. The clear sky is a bright cerulean. The vegetation is lush green. The mountains clear as day as they cradle the great sky. To the denizens of these sprawling lands. These days feel long. It’s a surprise to many that it has only been four years since everything changed. The picturesque landscape was so alien that it helped them disconnect the years that came before. A warm breeze brushes over the grassy knolls. A lone sparrow languidly glides towards the wooded gateway.

Abraham rode on into the town as he did before. His trips here were frequent enough that people would remember him. In the beginning he couldn’t quite put his finger on what made the place feel nostalgic to him. Gradually he came to realize that because the town is quaint and rural. Now he had visited many rural towns and areas before. But this was his first in a long while. He always did like walking through low-development places. Far away from sleepless cities. The tranquility and quietness was therapeutic.

Heaving off his Sparrow to walk with it he absentmindedly watches the bustle of activity around him. He heard about the Android situation and among other things. It was a good call he mused to himself at the time. Progress needed a kickstart in its development. For the most part he was happy for Richard’s achievements so far. He wishes for him to have a bright future. And so far things seem to be on track. Small businesses were flourishing, new infrastructure coming up nice and clean, and the people around him were genial.

A string of children's voices went past him. In the corner of his eyes he could see them walking in a small group down the sidewalk. For some reason his thoughts drift back to very ancient times. Those memories were like faded pictures bleached by the sun. That tale's told, the summer's done and never to return. In memories he and his sisters still play on a sunny summer's day on the streets of their hometown.

The ghost of a smile grace his expression. He kept moving along the road till he found a spot to park his Sparrow. With it secured he sauntered to the general direction of Richard. His gait was nonchalant. There was no reason that pressured him to be here. Although he did feel a bit obligated. Which he doesn’t view as a bad thing. That’s what responsibility is after all. Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers. Those thoughts aside it’s still a pleasant experience to make a trip out here to Progress.