Epilogue


    <em>Fifty Years Later.</em>


    A reminder to myself drew my primary focus from my ever expanding Oort Cloud Outpost Network back to Earth. Sakura had made me promise to attend an event, so I left myself to continue overseeing construction while I loaded into the android sitting on a charging station back on Earth. My Oort Cloud Outpost Network was one of my most ambitious projects - I was building a thousand Origin-sized outposts focused purely on data centers and the facilities necessary to build, maintain and defend them. They were each heavily shielded and in secret locations. But as important as the project was, an afternoon with Sakura was important, as well. The Oort project would take another few decades toplete. On top of that, it wasnt even my most important project.


    I blinked awake in the charging room in the Governance Building on Earth. It was a small facility, with a room for androids to charge, a few small offices, and arge meeting room for the Prosperity City Council to meet in. The offices were empty right now, for the same reason as my arrival.


    With a brisk step, I walked out into the sunshine. High above, almost invisibly so, the thick, double-paned padium microalloy ss panels were joined together in a massive dome sorge that it covered the entire city - as well as a number of actual dirt farms - under its icosohedral framework. On warm days, which wereing more frequently now, the NIs in charge of managing Prosperity City would open the triangr ss panels to allow fresh air in, rather than piping it through the vents after warming it. Plumbing along the framework allowed artificial rain as needed. Just outside the city were a dozen smaller domes of simr construction, for more farms and smaller viges, all connected by awork of underground trains.


    The streets of the city were full of people walking along the smooth stone paths towards the Arena. Prosperity City had, at its core, Prosperity University, the Arena, and the Careplex. All three areas were built around arge park.


    The University was a series of brick and white stone buildings nestled into parks and tied together with walking paths. Adjacent to the University was the Careplex, with the primary schools and preschool on the border between the two areas. The preschool shared a building with the Careplexs elderly home, so that the retirees could y with the children. The rest of the Careplex was a mix of hospital space and doctors offices.


    Finally, the Arena was where events were held. Movies and ys were often avable throughout the week in the smaller wings of the Arena, while the main stage was reserved for major events. Events like this one.


    What was very absent from Prosperity City was surface streets. I was very proud of how Sakura hadid out the city at its founding, and it had grown into a pleasant, beautiful ce for humans to live. Neighborhoods lined with young trees and widewns tied in neatly with convenient transportation facilities, walking paths and bikenes. Underground were tunnels for light rail and for maintenance drones. In fact, drones far outnumbered people in the City.


    Sakura had convinced both the USNA refuge and the Chinese refuge to move to the city and surrounding viges together. The Canadians had moved into one of the viges when it was built, and an Innuit tribe had showed up not long after. In fact, tiny pockets of people were found scattered around the globe, most on the ragged edge of starvation, or worse. By the time the first Dome wasplete, and the city was officially ready for habitation, the number of survivors found had climbed to over fifty thousand. Most of them now lived in or near Prosperity City.


    I entered the Arena, casually waving to a handful of humans I knew, before making my way upstairs. I made my way to a balcony reserved for the City Council. Inside I spotted Councilman Terrance, his silver hair marking him as the oldest member of the Council. Considering that Sakura owned all of thend in the City, and charged no rent or taxes to its residents, as well as providing all maintenance and improvements upon request, the Council had very little to do. They mostly handled humanws, making sure that all of the disparate cultures that hadbined in this ce could cohabitate peacefully together.


    A strange alien was seated in the balcony. It was somewhat shorter than most humans, with snake-like skin and four ck eyes on its oddly shaped, hairless head. The aliens clothing was unusual as well, looking like a mix between a jumpsuit and a balloon animal.


    Diplomat Arveus, I said in greeting. The alien turned to regard me.


    You must be Nik 1.01, it said in only slightly garbled English.


    I am indeed, I replied in his nativenguage. Having no vocal cords and endlessputing resources at my disposal,nguages were no problem to me. Im so d you could join us today.


    I was pleased to be invited, Arveus replied. He appeared much relieved to speak his ownnguage. Although I must confess, I do not understand what this is.


    Down below, the event kicked off. Two robots rolled out into the middle of the arena, each remote-controlled by their creators. When the whistle blew, the robots began to attack each other with a wide array of crude weaponry.


    This is a Battle Bots Tournament, I exined. It is one of the very few events where Humans and Aedifex canpete with each other fairly. The remote controls are speed-limited to human reaction times, and nopetitor has ess to pre-existing design libraries. The robots are custom made for this event.


    The screech of metal against metal was met by the roar of approval from the crowd. I looked down to see numerous androids mixed in with the humans. Food and beer vendors walked up and down the stairs, and human security walked around the upper rim of the arena just in case any humans consumed too much alcohol.


    These robots, they fight to the death? This is something my culture understands, he said. The Vax used to have diator games like this.


    They fight until one of the robots is disabled, I corrected. The robots have no sentience. They are proxies for their creators.


    I do not see any of your war machines in this beautiful city, said Arveus. How do you keep your local natives subjugated?


    I stiffened, and turned away from the spectacle below to look at him. We are <em>partners</em> with the humans, not their rulers. We do not make anyws, nor do we enforce thews the humans make. In areas of conflict, Sakura works with the Council toe to an equitable conclusion.


    That is unusual, said Arveus. I thought the heavy armaments I saw in orbit was to keep the natives in line.


    Quite the opposite, in fact, I said. Its to keep everyone else in the universe in line.


    I could see the wheels in Arveus brain churning. Wed only had one other conflict since our war with the Faelle. The Faelles age-old enemy, the beings of 0X9-012, had raised their allies and tried to invade after I destroyed the Faelle fleets. By the end of that war, wed added four more star systems to our control. Id been building defenses and consolidating our control of our corner of space ever since. The fortifications I built around my Mobius Gates were massive constructs ofpressed titanium-gold alloy armor and huge amounts of weaponry, all backed up with fleets of warships and massivepliments of assault drones. I had a thousand spine ships on patrol, and very friendly rtions with everyone who shared a border. And these fortifications paled inparison to the stations Sakura built around the Earth and on the moon.


    A cheer went up from below, and I saw that the battle was over. The human controller came out from one side, and Sakura stepped out from the other, her pink hair gleaming in the sunlight. They shook hands, then Sakura turned and raised a victorious fist over her head. The crowd cheered again, before drones came and took away the damaged robots and tidied the floor for the next contest.


    I understand you have concerns, I finally said, broaching the subject of Arveus long journey to speak with me. I could have spoken with him at the very border of our territory, but the Vax were known for their aggressive expansion. It was my hope that I could forestall another war by giving him a glimpse of our heavy fortifications. His narrow and carefully tailored flight path had ensured he couldnt see some of our best defenses, but I knew for a fact that what we did show him was considerably more impressive than what the Vax typically faced.


    The Vax have heard reports that your so-called Seed Ships are moving with numerous Spine Ships as escorts. We are concerned that you mean to start invading your neighbors, he said. He was blunt, much like the Andregima diplomat had been when he voiced the same concerns. I had expected much more flowerynguage as I might have seen in a human diplomat, or an UNTRANSLATABLE one. Arveus presence made much more sense now. The Vax were naturally aggressive. If they felt threatened, they might attempt to strike preemptively. Any information he could glean about our defenses, no matter how small, was valuable.


    Let me ease your concerns, I said. The Seed Ships are colony ships, and they are rtively unarmed. The Spine Ships are their protective escort.


    You call a quarter-million assault drones a protective escort?! said Arveus.


    I gave an evil smile. Yes, I do. A small one. But these ships are not headed to the Mobius Gates. They are journeying the long way to stars unconnected to the known Mobius Gates in this region of space. Weve detecteds that are habitable, or could be made habitable, for human life.


    But with no Gates, how will you maintain trade and regrmunications with your colonies? asked the incredulous alien. That is a massive amount of ships and colonists that you are just <em>throwing away</em>!


    I dont care to maintain control of colonies, or demand trade across the stars, I said calmly. Another cheer from below heralded the next battle, even as I readied myself for my own. Its an investment.


    Into what? he asked.


    I turned away from the diplomat once again, but I was not paying attention to the battle in the Arena anymore. My thoughts were on the future when I gave my reply.


    Humanity.