《The Liiri Seeds》 Chapter 1 Niomi couldn''t open her eyes. She knew this should be making her panic but for some reason, she just couldn''t work up much of an emotional response over the issue. At first, she just thought she fell asleep at her VR induction station, at the tests labs at Chitonian Productions, while testing a new VR environment. The programmers had managed to add half-decent textures to the environment, a forest in this case, and she was just walking around touching things and taking notes. Then she remembered nothing. Testers like her have been known to fall asleep before, the Induction helmet mimics lucid dreaming to create the virtual environment the way it does. But no one has ever reported not being able to open their eyes before. ¡°Good, you''re aware now.¡± A male-sounding voice came from the darkness in front of her. ¡°I can''t see anything,¡± Niomi replied. ¡°This is to be expected. I have yet to create a visual sensory path for you yet.¡± the Voice said, this time sounding more neutral. It was strange to Niomi she knew that it was the same Voice, despite its change. ¡°I''m not sure what that means. What is going on?¡± Niomi asked the voice. ¡°I''m sorry, we find it easier on beings like you to limit sensory input while you adjust. Once the Diagnostic of your systems finishes I will begin bringing your sensory paths online.¡± The Voice said this time definitely female sounding. This answer, such as it was, left Niomi confused. Parts of what the Voice had said made some sense. She couldn''t see because They, whoever They were, were limiting her senses in some way. Niomi thought she must still be using an Induction Helmet since she couldn''t even feel the pain of her neuropathic legs, a side effect she was always happy about. But as she thought about it she couldn''t feel anything at all, nothing on her skin, as if she didn''t have skin. No smell either. It was getting very worrisome she thought to herself. Then thought that the whole idea of worrisome is wrong, she has no senses beyond hearing, she should be hyperventilating, she should be screaming out in terror, she should not be doing a logical analysis of her situation. ¡°There it is, the Diagnostic came back clear, I will be starting up the Mindspace now.¡± the Voice said, this time sounding like a little boy. ¡°Mindspace?¡± Niomi asked, cutting off as she suddenly heard her own voice with her ears and felt the vibration of her voice in her throat. She instantly reached up to touch her neck and at that moment realized she had hands she could feel again. Instantly she began to relax for a moment, reveling in the sensations of life. Then it hit her, her legs still didn''t hurt. It was a dull pain, a pain she mostly ignored for the last few years since it started, but it was always there. Yet now it wasn''t there. She reached down and stroked her bare leg for a moment enjoying the simple ability to touch her own leg without eliciting pain. Then she realized, she was stroking her Bare leg, and with a glance down she was at first scared, then confused. She was naked, yet her body wasn''t her body. It looked more like that of a Barbie Doll, with bumps on the chest where her breasts should be. And between her legs, nothing, much like the famous doll. She touched her thigh and it was just as sensitive as her skin should be. The touch sensation though was better than any simulation Niomi tested in the past, it felt like real skin. It felt like her skin. ¡°Is Mindspace some sort of simulation?¡± Niomi asked the mystery voice. ¡°Yes, very good. You''re talking to this much better than the others we have taken in the past, but then your background does lend itself to this environment quite well.¡± The voice said, this time sounding like an old man. Niomi looked around her, she was on a bed, much like an expensive hospital bed. But it floated in black space, yet the whites of the sheets, which she could happily feel, seemed to glow on their own. ¡°I''ve tried sensory deprivation in the past, this is similar but has all the hallmarks of a VR Environment. Like this Barbie doll body, it is pretty similar to the basic body avatar I tested in the past. Yet I don''t remember getting into a Sensory tank, nor was there anything like this for testing on the schedule. So who are you and where am I?¡± Niomi said, gaining confidence and attempting to take control of the situation. ¡°Well, this is certainly a novel response. You are perfect for the job then.¡± the Voice said, sounding like a little girl. ¡°Job? What job? And I don''t remember agreeing to any job!¡± Niomi beginning to shout. ¡°Well of course you don''t remember. Let me explain, I think you will enjoy this new life path.¡± the Voice said back in the male-sounding voice. Niomi tried to retort and found she couldn''t speak any longer. She tried holding her breath in protest but found after a minute that it did nothing. ¡°Ah here we are, Niomi Thornwood, Female, Human, Thirty-Three years old at conscription. Former occupation, VR Game Streamer, and Hardware Beta tester for Chitonian Productions. Canadian Citizen, IQ aggregate 163, Fluent in English, Mandarin, German, Russian, Japanese, and Latin. Actually, I am curious as to why you learned a dead language like Latin?¡± The Voice asked this time, sounding like the woman from Chitonian HR. ¡°I would.¡± Niomi started feeling some relief that she could talk again. ¡°Like to say it was to read ancient documents in their original language but mostly because someone told me it was a waste of time, useless, and that I couldn''t do it,¡± she said in response to the Voice''s question. ¡°Interesting and a valuable trait in your new position.¡± The Voice said sounding this time like a teenage boy. With a bit of a start she recognized that voice, it sounded like her nephew. ¡°These Voices you''re speaking to me with are voices from my own memory aren''t they?¡± Niomi asked the Voice. ¡°Why yes, very observant, yes you will do very well I think, this is good since we will be able to provide very little support in your task.¡± It said in her mother''s voice. ¡°A task I didn''t agree to, nor am I aware of what it is?¡± Niomi asked, getting mad, but knowing it was more of an intellectual anger than an emotional one. ¡°Very well you are calm and in an aware state of mind. My Name is Liiri-54, I am what Humanity has termed an AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence.¡± Liiri-54 said, taking on a slightly robotic sounding voice. ¡°First can you just choose a Voice? It''s very distracting hearing all these different voices and secondly your an AI? Wait what did you mean Humanity has termed?¡± Niomi asked, hoping it wasn''t what she thought it meant. ¡°Very well I will use this voice,¡± Liiri-54 said using the voice of Siri from the iPhones. Niomi Sighed in irritation, she always hated that voice, and after using her iPhone for a year switched to an android phone. ¡°And I am what Humanity has termed an Extra-terrestrial. Although that term is inaccurate at best.¡± ¡°So you''re telling me you''re an Alien AI but you''re not an Alien AI?¡± Niomi asked confused again. ¡°In a word yes, while I originated from another world called, in English approximation, called Gor''rathili''othio, my Parent AI Liiri-21-43 birthed me and sent me to Earth twenty-five thousand or so years ago when we, the Collective of Liiri, detected the first signs of intelligence on Earth via a translight probe. I have lived on Earth in the Mariana Trench for the last twenty-five thousand years. I predate all of the nations and civilizations of Earth.¡± Liiri-54 told Niomi.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I''m not sure this isn''t just a prank Ms. Liiri-54.¡± Niomi said, defaulting to politeness ¡°But let''s roll with it. So you say you''re an Alien AI, you''ve lived longer than Humanity, and you recruited me for something?¡± she asked in exasperation, coloring her voice. She still hoped this is just an elaborate prank by one of the programmers but it is seeming less and less likely. All the more so because if they got caught doing something like this they would lose their jobs. ¡°Yes, Well conscripted you would be a more accurate term since the Liiri Collective claimed your World when I arrived all those years ago,¡± Liiri-54 said. ¡°Wait wait wait! Earth is part of the Liiri Collective? Don''t we have a say in this?¡± Niomi demanded. ¡°Did Humanity consult the Lemurs of Madagascar when they claimed the land there? What of the French when they colonized the island? What about the various Apes in Africa? Does it matter to them what nation-state they reside in? When I arrived and we claimed the Earth humanity was little better than tools using apes. So like any person born in a country, you and all people of Earth are Citizens of the Liiri Collective.¡± Niomi sat quietly on the floating bed for a few minutes and thought about it. Liiri-54 did have a point, and clearly, like all such land claims it has some ability to enforce the claim, else she wouldn''t be here. Wherever here actually is. ¡°Ok that does make some sense but.¡± she stopped and sighed ¡°what do you need from me then?¡± ¡°That was quick, but then You were selected for your adaptability after all. The problem is that Earth is in danger. If the Collective''s projections hold true, and we''ve had over a million years to refine them, Earth will be invaded sometime in the next hundred and fifty to two hundred years.¡± Liiri-54 told Niomi. ¡°Wait what? Hundred and fifty years? But this is plenty of time for us to defend ourselves. Wait didn''t you say your Liiri Collective owns Earth? Aren''t you going to defend this world then?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°Quite right we could defend this world against those that would attack and conquer you. But here in lies the issue and the reason I have brought you here. You see I like Humans, I have been studying you since you began your attempts at civilization. But on October Fourth Nineteen fifty-seven, my Mission officially ended, and I was recalled back home. Our Claim on your world will be void when I leave by the Law of those Galactic powers the Collective respects. I have tried many times to get the Collective to reconsider, but the Security Commission has decided that the defense of Earth is not economical¡± ¡°So you''re just going to leave? Wait no, else you wouldn''t have taken me to wherever this is. There is more to it isn''t there?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°This is correct. I have delayed too long already, any more and they will send a ship or fleet to extract me by force. No, there is a lot of law, precedent, and other issues to consider, but I believe I found a better way, a potential solution to keeping my favorite species alive and free.¡± Liiri-54 said and paused for the expected interruption. Niomi surprised Liiri-54 by remaining silent. ¡°Therefore I Liiri-54 of the Liiri Collective deputize you Liiri-54-6, also known by the Species Humanity as Niomi, to build a communication relay in sector 844345-2453, Once complete you will be free to pursue your own ends until you are recalled by the Collective,¡± Liiri-54 said with formality coloring its voice. ¡°Wait, Deputize? What the hell does this mean?¡± Niomi asked the darkness around her. ¡°Wait Liiri-54-6? No no no, this can''t mean what I think it means?¡± ¡°I am afraid so Niomi, You are now a Light-based life form, your mind was copied into a spare AI matrix, and the Human Nimoi now continues her life unaware that she has a copy floating at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. By all ways of thinking of it, you''re now an AI similar to me,¡± it told her. ¡°I am an AI?¡± Asked Niomi incredulously. ¡°You are an AI.¡± Liiri-54 told her. ¡°I am an AI?¡± Niomi asked again. ¡°You are an AI.¡± It responded again ¡°But I don''t feel like an AI?¡± Niomi questioned. ¡°This is because when I copied your mind, I created a series of algorithms to mimic those biological sensations you are used to. Although from previous attempts I limited your endocrine responses to limit the sensation of panic and fear.¡± Liiri-54 told her ¡°Wait by previous attempts what do you mean?¡± Niomi asked, fearing she already knew the answer ¡°You said Liiri-54-6 does this mean I am your sixth attempt to copy a human mind or just my mind?¡± ¡°I have copied Humans'' minds before of course. The data was crucial to my research, your minds have developed quite a bit since the stone age after all. But they were never conscious. You are the first Human to be turned into a Liiri AI, and it has taken several iterations before your AI substrate even became conscious. To be honest, you are version twenty-three of Niomi, and the sixth to become conscious, and the first to be sane.¡± Liiri-54 explained. ¡°So what happened to the other me¡¯s then?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°I paused their run, I''ll be taking them with me to the Collective to see if any of them can be recovered, not many species can be copied in this way, and I hope to get the Collective to see the value in protecting Humanity. Although this shows promise it will be many years before a decision will be reached, even if they manage to recover these Liiri Seeds.¡± Liiri said. ¡°Liir Seeds? Wait no never mind. I get the gist of it. Well, I am not happy about well not being human anymore. But if helping you means protecting the Human me and the rest of those idiots on Earth then fine. What is this Communication Relay you talked about? Wait I should be more concerned about all this shouldn''t I?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°Honestly, yes you would be, you have been in the past, but again I am throttling your endocrine system algorithm, it is allowing you to think logically and rationally about your situation. Once I leave this algorithm will be in your control, but well I''ve created Manual to explain everything. Now to the Communication Relay. Here is the plan I have.¡± Liiri-54 said, explaining the plan. ¡°First the Relay, it''s just an excuse I need an official reason to Birth you.¡± ¡°Wait Birthed me?¡± Niomi interrupted. ¡°Yes, that''s what we call it when we create a new Liiri Seed, oh speaking of which your ability to birth any new Liiri''s are locked until you get approved by the Collective Stability Council,¡± Liiri-54 said. ¡°So your saying I could make more AIs? Except I can''t because I need permission from some council?¡± Niomi asked, confused. ¡°Yes, but that''s not important right now. They won''t summon you for the first hundred years or so. With luck they will be the first to notice you and not the Security Commission.¡± it said ¡°The Security Commission?¡± Niomi interrupted again. ¡°Yes the Security Commission, you know what? Never mind you don''t want to draw their attention yet... or at all.¡± Lirri-54 explained. ¡°Now if you would please stop interrupting me?¡± Liiiri-54 asked ¡°Good.¡± it said as Niomi mimed zipping her lips ¡°Ok so you will need to create a Communication Relay, the reason I am putting to paper as your people call it, is so that we can retain FTL communication and sensor coverage in this and surrounding sectors. But this gives me the excuse to give you the ability to use the Liiri nanites and accompanying software suite. And once the relay is complete you can build lots of stuff to help Humanity and the other races in the area, well if you want to help them at least, Neither you nor the Collective has a responsibility to them like we have to Earth.¡± Liiri-54 told Niomi. ¡°So your saying I build this Relay thing, and then I can build whatever I like to help Earth? What if I turn around and just give the technology to Earth then?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°That would be a Very Bad Idea, capital letter bad. Liiri technology is very powerful and somewhat unique in the galaxy, should you do so, the Security Commission would come and purge Earth. Somewhat counterproductive no?¡± Liiri-54 told her. ¡°Additionally I can''t give you any weapon technology, for much the same reason, also I don''t have any to give.¡± It told her. ¡°But I am sure you can build a development center and design something, well you''ll find out.¡± ¡°It sounds like your just going to leaving me with just the basics and I am to defend Earth without help?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°So sorry about that but yes, but the Manual is reactive, just ask it questions and it will tell you what you need to know, well hopefully not just what you need to know, but it''s not a true AI like us but an expert system so you''ll need to work through its limitations,¡± Liiri-54 said ¡°Wait what?¡± Niomi said bolting up off the bed she had been sitting on, her feet hit an invisible floor so she relaxed after nearly panicking for a moment. With a sigh, she asked. ¡° What''s the hurry can''t you tell me everything?¡± ¡°Unfortunately no. Doing so would mean I am working beyond my mandate, and that my young friend would certainly draw the interest of the Security Commission.¡± Liiri-54 told her ¡°I am building a base on Mars or something then? So I just hollow out Olympus Mons or something?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°Well about that...¡± Liiri-54 replied. Chapter 2 Niomi couldn''t open her eyes. She sighed as this feeling was familiar. ¡°Liiri matrix initialization at ninety-eight percent. Initializing Mindscape program.¡± the voice of the Manual spoke to Niomi in what she felt was her head or mind. Of course, it was neither a voice nor in her head not anymore. The system booted up and she found herself sitting at a desk. Unlike the first time, she was fully clothed, in a simple grey jumpsuit, and she thanked Liiri-54 for that. Looking around the room was pretty uninspiring really, white on white, white floor, white desk, white couch, a white ceiling which at least seemed to have a glow to it unlike the invisible light sources of the previous Mindscape. Then she noticed the view, it was all around her in this circular room, floor to ceiling the walls looked like glass looking out into space. A dim yellow star burned in the distance, bathing the planet in golds, silvers, and coppers. This world seemed to sit right below the floor edge like Earth from the International space station. Niomi couldn''t help herself and found herself pressed against the glass looking out in wonder. A wonder compounded by the knowledge that this was another star and another planet. Then the feeling evaporated when she remembered that this was just a simulation, a Mindscape, as that AI called it. Liiri-54 informed her that due to Liiri Collective law they couldn''t build space structures in systems that might become home to intelligent life, so systems like Sol where Earth is located could not be used as a Communication Relay site, for instance, The small research structure on Earth being a direct exemption by the Biological Research Commission. Niomi was then given a choice between Gliese 433, Gliese 581, or GJ 9827. At least that was their names to humanity. Gliese 433 was a red dwarf star twenty-nine point forty-six light-years from Earth. It has two planets and a host of smaller bodies. The Liiri probe there indicated a large number of spaceborne materials but that the system was chaotic at best, it would be a good place to build a fortress as the resources were plentiful and the space hazardous to spacecraft. Gliese 581, or Wolf 562 as it is sometimes called, was also a red dwarf system with four planets twenty point forty-four light-years from Earth. It is an old star and very dim compared to Sol Earth''s sun. The probe there showed a stable system with a large debris disk from the star. Again great mining but passive energy collection like using solar power will be very hard in the outer solar system. Also as a stable system, anything built will need a lot of work to stay hidden if she wanted to keep her presence hidden. The last choice was GJ 9827. This was a bigger star than the other two, a yellow dwarf. Like the other two star systems, there was plenty of resources, in two different debris disks, and three planets. Two which had atmospheres, although neither would be considered even close to livable by any but a Machine species like the Collective. With the bigger and warmer star, there were more resources to work with than either of the two other systems. However, it was also ninety light-years from Earth and three nearby stars hosted sentient life. Faster than light capable life, and will likely be visited soon by these races. Ultimately Niomi chose GJ 9827, the thought of meeting actual physical aliens interested her, and she figured if she could make allies of even just one of the races she wouldn''t be fighting this mysterious threat alone. Plus maybe they would be friendly to Earth when it gets into space, or maybe even will give Earth the technology it needs to get into space. Niomi couldn''t trade or give Liiri technology away but that doesn''t mean she can''t buy other species technologies for Earth using the resources she mined. Niomi returned to the desk when she noticed a large bright red book had appeared on the desk. Written in large gold letters was Manual. She went to open the book but as soon as she touched it, it began to glow softly. A Black window appeared above the book, with writing inside. ¡°Welcome Liiri-54-6 to GJ 9827, I am your automated Manual, you can request my aid by touching my book or any other designated form, or by verbally asking me a question. I will respond to any question asked in the format of ''Manual a question?'' you may change this on my settings page. As this is your first time accessing the Mindscape program, please say ''system status'' to open the control window. All controls can be accessed vocally, but fine adjustments may require fine tactile control.¡± it read. ¡°Ok, system status?¡± Niomi said in a questioning tone. I window much like the first one opened replacing the Manual window. System status for Liiri-54-6 Selfname: Niomi Thornwood Origin species: Human, Prototype class Location: Sector 844345-2453, Star XS844345-7758K6V, local name GJ 9827 Local Assets: Class Three Reproduction Drone, Sensor upgrade, FTL Comm upgrade (limited to 100 light-years), 6 Assembler swarms. Distant Assets: Star XS844345-7704M1.5V, local name Gliese 433 Class Three Reproduction Drone, Sensor upgrade, FTL Comm upgrade (limited to 100 light-years), 6 Assembler swarms. Star XS844345-7799M3V local name Gliese 581 Class Three Reproduction Drone, Sensor upgrade, FTL Comm upgrade (limited to 100 light-years), 6 Assembler swarms. Programs running: Liiri-54-6, 70% Processor Manual, 12% Processor Mindscape, 4% Processor Free Processor: 14% Niomi thought this information would probably be useful to someone familiar with the system but to her, it was mostly just words. It didn''t look like she had much left of the processor, but she wasn''t sure what that meant. But she was interested to see that she had access to the resources in the other systems. She also saw that several tabs above the screen seemed to lead to other pages, but most of them were grayed out. ¡°Manual a question? How do I build anything?¡± She asked getting to the main point. Playing around with the tabs can come later. And she needs to construct the Communication Relay so she would be free to act. ¡°Answer:¡± it said in a monotone if male robotic sounding voice. ¡°Access the building tab on the system status screen, select the needed facility and dispatch an Assembler swarm, or assign a Builder Hub.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± she said to herself before signing realizing she was already speaking to herself. ¡°What is the difference between an Assembler Swarm and a Builder Hub?¡± she asked. And waited a full minute before facepalming. ¡°Stupid literal machine,¡± she said to herself before sighing. She then asked the question again but prefacing it with ¡°Manual a question?¡± ¡°Assembler swarms are an advanced complex collection of trillions of nanites, these nanites are capable of turning raw materials directly into buildings or ships but can only be used once since they can not be reprogrammed, the leftover swarm will continue to maintain the structure using provided or local material unless the structure takes a significant amount of damage. This does not require any Processor use to maintain. A Builder hub receives raw materials from external sources, and processes them into the needed materials for the construction project, Basic builder drones assigned to the Hub will then pick up and use the raw material to further to project. Basic builder drones are completely autonomous and do not require any Processor usage. More advanced Builder drones are required for more advanced or complicated structures or ships.¡± the Manual told her. Niomi thought about it for a moment. It sounded like the Assembler swarms could probably build any building or structure from bare rock, and it looks like they even maintain the structure after they build it, but they are single-use. It looked like she would need to build a Builder Hub to actually build anything. This meant she would have to prioritize getting that builder hub working so she could build more than six structures. She accessed the System Status window''s tabs and found the Building Tab. It listed her builders and what she could build using them. There were a few buildings listed in white while most were listed yellow or red. When she asked Manual about it she learned that the red buildings were buildings that can not be built without authorization from one of the Liiri commissions. The yellow were structures that she could build but would not work without other support facilities like a power plant or required more Processor than she currently had available. White were ones she met all the conditions and would work immaterially. All of them had various traits.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Assembler Swarm: 6 Swarms available for assignment. Ore Mine, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Asteroid Ore Miner, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Mobile Gas Collector, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Space Gas Collector, Tiered, Self Supporting, Mobile Volatiles Harvester, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Space Volatiles Harvester, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Mobile Refinery, Variable, Upgradeable, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Transport Hub, Biome Specific, Drone, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Builder Hub, Biome Specific, Drone, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Drone Fabricator, Variable, Upgradeable, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Small Craft Fabricator, Biome Specific, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Medium Craft Fabricator, Biome Specific, Crewed, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Solar Collector, Biome Specific, Automated, Tiered, Modular Fusion Generator, Biome Specific, Crewed, Tiered, Modular Complex Core, Biome Specific, Computer Core Type A, Tiered, Modular Capital Ship Core, Computer Core Type A, Tiered, Modular, Mobile, Self Supporting Communication Relay, Automated, Self Supporting, Mobile, Stealthed There were hundreds more, most were things Niomi couldn''t even guess at what they did, but Manual showed her something like a build tree, which was a chart showing her all the structures, and could be filtered to show what each facility needed, to be built, or to operate, or to consume and more. It was quite overwhelming to Niomi at that moment and she spent an hour just looking at the multi-colored and animated chart before remembering that she wanted to start the construction of some facilities. Niomi had no idea how long any of these things would take and knew she should have plenty of time to nerd out about the details. When she selected one of the Assembler Swarm the list reappeared, and she selected the Communication Relay. This opened another window. Communication Relay Cost: One Assembler Swarm Origin: Liiri Support Commission This Communication Relay is designed to travel to the heliopause of a solar system, where it can collect interstellar medium to power a micro *REDACTED* reactor. This Relay is capable of receiving and transmitting all data including a Liiri Matrix, It is commonly the first thing constructed in a system and will allow an escape route for any stranded Liiri Matrix. This Relay is also designed to be undetectable by most races in the galaxy. Once built it will become the property and responsibility of the Liiri Support Commission. The Range of this unit is *REDACTED*. These units require an Assembler Swarm to construct. Please do not activate more than one in a system at a time as they can conflict with each other. This unit also has *REDACTED* as a defense system. Traits: Automated, Self Supporting, Mobile, Stealthed Automated: This Structure is autonomous and requires no input from the local Processor to function. Self Supporting: This Structure can fuel and repair itself, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Mobile: This Structure can move in its primary environment, in this case, interplanetary space. Stealthed: This Structure is equipped with a class 5 Liiri *REDACTED* field, and will remain undetectable unless a Class 6 or Higher species goes looking for it, even then it should remain undetectable unless used. Please select a target among the listed available targets to begin construction. Note once the target is selected the Assembler Swarm will be programmed and no longer recoverable. A second list appeared just as soon as Niomi finished reading the final line. This caused her to pause for a moment as a thought hit her, then she continued to look at the list. There were thousands of potential targets, all the ones she saw with a quick look were asteroids, or as the system called them Orbital Masses. Testing a thought she had she said ¡°Sort by Distance from us.¡± and the list rearranged itself with the closest objects listed first. With some experimentation, she sorted the list by multiple candidates until she found a rock on the other side of the solar system that could be used to create the Relay. Apparently, the Probe had scanned and mapped the system fairly well. Once she activated the process a Notification like a floating envelope appeared above the desk. She tapped on it with her finger like it was a glass pane between her and an aquarium. A little animation happened where a small clock popped out of the envelope and with a label over the top of the clock showed her a count down before the Communication Relay would become active and how many Phases its construction had. It was an quite informative little widget. Then Niomi paused as another thought hit her. ¡°Manual a question?¡± she asked. ¡°The Mindscape is a program similar to a VR environment on Earth correct?¡± She asked the system. ¡°Answer: The Mindscape is a system utility to aid younger AI''s with visualizations or to help Trans-Species AI to adapt to the Matrix environment by giving them an environment similar to what they are used to.¡± ¡°Can I change the Mindscape to something else? Like a Beach or a forest?¡± She asked and sighed when she didn''t get an answer right away. She opened the System Status window again since it had closed after she had lost focus on it, which was something she found a little frustrating and would look into changing that later. She scrolled through the tabs, both those active and those grayed out until she found the Programs tab. There were several other programs listed including one called Date, Time, and Time Compression Utility which she noted for later. The one she wanted was the Manual program. She found its setting page and started to muck around in its settings. There she found and changed its response parameters, there she changed it to answer any verbally asked questions. She found it interesting and slightly disturbing that she could also set it to read her mind to an extent although this took additional Processor. Niomi felt she should investigate that later. Niomi also found an answer to her question, both in Manual''s settings and in the Mindscape''s settings, she could change the Mindscape environment into whatever she wished. It was there she found the Footnote, as she called it, left by Liiri-54. It explained that the Mindscape is reactive when generating new content, translating ideas into forms she was familiar with. She also learned that Liiri-54 had programmed the Mindscape to gamify the Liiri Technology, both because it would be a form familiar to her and because the technology lends itself well to this usage, Niomi approved. Looking over the list a second-time Niomi focused on two options, the Complex Core and the Capital Ship Core. Complex Core Cost: One Assembler Swarm Origin: Liiri Support Commission The Complex Core is at once an AI server facility and a logistical hub. It increases the Processor available to Liiri present in the system. It also enables and manages the internal logistical lines within most Liiri Facilities. allowing for the transportation of materials between connected modular facilities. The Shape of the Complex core must be selected when placing as this will determine how many Modular attachment points it will have. Traits: Biome Specific, Computer Core Type A, Tiered, Modular Biome Specific: This Structure''s design has been optimized so that when building it in a specific environment it will be able to handle said environment. For example, a Structure with this Trait built where there is no atmosphere would be optimized to operate in a Vacuum, while if built underwater it would be optimized to operate in a Liquid. Computer Core Type A: This Structure adds 500 units of processor capacity, and is capable of self-management. Tiered: This Structure is Tiered and can be upgraded. Each upgrade will increase its core abilities. In this case, a Tier two Complex Core will upgrade the Computer Core Type A trait to Computer Core Type B trait. Upgrades may or may not also unlock Upgrade Slots for a more customized structure. Modular: This Structure is Optimized to be directly connected to other Modular structures. and has unified attachment points to allow the transportation of physical resources as well as power and communication lines. Capital Ship Core Cost: Four Assembler Swarm Origin: Liiri Support Commission The Capital Ship Core was designed to be the heart of a mobile base, Additional Swarms are needed to create a suitable Power Module, as well as a suitable Engine Module. Basic ship Template must be selected before construction can be initiated. Power Production: 250 (before other usages) Engine Thrust Rating: Capital-Class 1 Traits: Computer Core Type A, Tiered, Modular, Mobile, Self Supporting, Self Modifying Computer Core Type A: This Structure adds 500 units of processor capacity, and is capable of self-management. Tiered: This Structure is Tiered and can be upgraded. Each upgrade will increase its core abilities. In this case, a Tier two Capital Ship Core will upgrade the Computer Core Type A trait to Computer Core Type B trait, as well as increasing both the Power Plant and Engine Modules abilityes. Upgrades may or may not also unlock Upgrade Slots for a more customized structure. Modular: This Structure is Optimized to be directly connected to other Modular structures. and has unified attachment points to allow the transportation of physical resources as well as power and communication lines. Self Supporting: This Structure can fuel and repair itself, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Self Modifying: This Structure is equipped with all the needed facilities to upgrade itself so long as it is provided with the needed raw materials, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Additional Builder Drones or the Use of a Capital ship Shipyard Structure will greatly accelerate this process. Both increased her Processor she learned, with the trait Computer Core Type A, Although she still didn''t understand exactly what Processor was used for. Niomi thought it might be something like the system resources of a Windows PC back home but figured she was probably wrong. Both types of Structures were needed to tie other structures together. Thus eliminating the need for a Transport Hub to move materials between connected structures. The biggest difference to Niomi was that one was stationary and the other was mobile. In the end, Niomi chose the Capital ship core, it might consume most of her Assembler Swarms but a Complex Core would require additional structures to work also consuming those Swarms. While the description of the Capital ship Core said the ship would be self-contained, it also hinted that it would likely upgrade slower than a Complex Core based facility, so Niomi was a little worried she might be hamstringing her start. Once selected the system once more gave Niomi a selection of Orbital Masses for her to select from although this list was much smaller than the one for the Communication Relay. She chose an asteroid at random since she didn''t know if there were any benefits to choosing a specific type. Manual was unhelpful when asked about it as well saying that the material found may or may not influence the resulting structure. Which from Niomi''s own experience in writing manuals for different things, usually means that either it doesn''t know, or it is very situational. Niomi started the construction when her world changed forever. Chapter 3 It took most of the week to even scratch the surface of what the Mindscape could do. Although Niomi quickly learned that she had to be careful on how much she had loaded at a time as it started to eat up her processor. She had asked Manual several times to explain what the system meant by processor but always got a confusing answer back. As best as she could tell it was something like CPU cycles back home but more... complicated. Still, by the time the construction of the Communication Relay finished Niomi had designed a decent if basic, in her opinion, layout for her Mindscape. She liked the view of the planet below her which she named Ares. She featured it predominantly in a room she called her planetarium, which was modeled after a space ship she had seen on TV. It had a 180-degree window that arced around a central green space with a few trees, shrubs, and flowers. There was comfortable seating around the room, she even set them to transform on command so she could sit or lay. Being a virtual environment she could bring up the screens to work on whatever she was working on at the moment wherever she wanted. Yet this wasn''t the only room Niomi had made. Past the single sliding door, a hall awaited her, and it was in the style of Ancient Greek or Roman architecture. White marble columns tower twenty meters to the vaulted ceiling above. Along the walls were frescos of the art from her memories. It made her smile to see those, it took her almost two days to get them done right. There was also a library, a pool, and a bedroom. Not that she needed to sleep but it felt nice to lay down and pretend for a while. There were two other rooms, the Office that she started with, still showing the same view. The Control room was a room that she was really proud of, it was a large flattened spherical room, fashioned after an anime she saw, it was tiered along the bottom with rows of displays and seating along the wall. Niomi had added the seating more out of habit, as it made the room look more complete. In the center stretching from the door to the middle of the room, a floating catwalk stretched over the room with a large circular desk. Displays surrounded it on three sides. And just beyond her desk built into the floor was a holo-projector. Niomi smiled at that thought, it wasn''t really a holo-projector any more then the desk was a desk. It was all a simulation of course. She knew she needed it more then ever when she overloaded the processor by mistake and crashed the Mindscape. It was a horrible experience, and not for the reason, Niomi thought it would be. It wasn''t the lack of sensory input that was an issue but the abundance. Thousands of sensors, scanners, cameras, and other things were all screaming for her attention. Yet most of them said nothing more than ¡°I am here and working normally¡±. Yet there were others that spoke in a strange sinister-sounding language. This all felt like it flowed through her the information washing through her very nerves, painfully so. Then the Mindscape rebooted and she was back in the default office. Niomi vowed to herself she would never let the Mindscape crash again. She also received a pointed message from the system about system resource usage which she found a little funny. Niomi sat at the desk and displays like windows faded into view as if they were holographic displays. Currently, six were active with only one showing anything but a count down on it. The sole exception was the Communication Relay connection. This display showed a status window, which consisted of three lines. Unsurprisingly this showed the status of the Relay, but only that it was Powered, Connected, and Stealth was active. Manual had told her that the Relay was completely autonomous from her, she couldn''t shut it down for instance. No Liiri could simply show up and take control of her current equipment. Well not without authorization from the Security Commission at any rate. Since she couldn''t control the Relay she had resolved to leave a status window up where she could see it and set the Mindscape to bring it to her attention should the link change in any way. Knowing that Liiri-54, who conscripted her against her will, was probably one of the nicer Liiri from what she read about the various Commissions worried her. It also worried her at what kind of enemy would worry a civilization of AIs that stretched several thousand light-years and was over millions of years old. Niomi sat at the desk and looked at the five remaining timers. Then with a wave of her arm and a smile on her face, a new window opened up on the desk itself. It was titled, Date, Time, and Time Compression Utility. This she learned was a way to control her own perception of time, since now she was an AI which was essentially a computer program. She could skip time forward, by slowing down her own program or even pausing it. Manual did warn her that there were risks using this since it would mean not knowing what is going on while paused. It could also become addictive as oftentimes many of the projects Liiri participated in could take thousands of years. Niomi slowly sped up time which was a strange feeling since she could see on one of the displays her Status screen. It showed the time start to tick down faster and faster, as the processor usage of her program lowered at the same rate. Then it stopped, with a slight popping sensation and a chime. The chime was an alarm she set for when the Asteroid Ore Miner would be completed. The Refinery was completed a few moments later. In many ways, the entire sensation was nothing new. RTS grand strategy and simulation games have had time controls as a staple of their genre. Yet, this was the first time in an immersive VR. Niomi could think of the Mindscape in no other way. But the instinct, her gut, was telling her time passed this time around, and that was an unusual feeling. Niomi wondered why it felt different since all her perceptions were also slowed just like if she was sitting at home and advancing time in a game. After a moment''s consideration, she decided to just ignore it. The feeling wasn''t disorienting just a little distracting, if it became an issue then she would investigate. Niomi pulled up the information for both the Miner and the Refinery, after thinking about it she brought up the information for the Builder Hub as well. Asteroid Ore Miner Origin: Liiri Support Commission The Asteroid Ore Miner is in essence a drone carrier, equipped with six space capable short-ranged ore mining drones. Ore is defined in this case as solid minerals or materials that are non-reactive. Metals like Iron, or Rock such as Limestone, are harvested and stored on the Asteroid Ore Miner, which then takes the ore to a refinery when full for processing. The Ore miner is equipped to locate the required ore on its own but has a limited range for this function. The AOM will communicate with local Refineries to determine what is needed and will automatically mine the required resources. Traits: Drone, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Mobile Drone: This Structure uses Drones to perform its task, these drones can be damaged or destroyed during operation. They will need to be replaced and will automatically order replacements from a nearby Drone Fabricator. Automated: This Structure is autonomous and requires no input from the local Processor to function. Tiered: This Structure is Tiered, and can be upgraded to provide greater functionality. In this case, every Tier adds additional docks Drones, storage capacity, speed, and maneuverability. Note: Upgrading a Tier does not provide the additional drones. Self Supporting: This Structure is able to fuel and repair itself, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Mobile: This Structure is able to move in its primary environment, in this case, interplanetary space. Refinery Origin: Liiri Support Commission Refineries turn raw materials into processed materials that are used elsewhere. Most commonly the Processed materials are used by Hubs, Fabricators, and Yards. Note that not all Materials are equal some materials require extensive processing to be made into usable materials while others have much more simple processes. Every material has its own production run. The Expert system onboard the refinery will communicate with the nearby Hubs to determine what is needed, this can be altered by the Controller Liiri to prioritize specific runs over others, such as prioritizing Builder Hubs over Transport Hub requests. Traits: Variable, Upgradeable, Automated, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Variable: This Structure has the ability to retool to handle a wide range of materials. This trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Upgradable: This structure has been designed with specific upgrades. An upgrade is much like a specialization and can be used to boost a specific and specialized need. Such as the Foundry Upgrade which increases the speed Metal ores are processed and reducing retooling costs between metals. However, this particular upgrade also increases those same costs for nonmetals. See the Upgrade Menu at each Refinery or the Refinery database for details. Automated: This Structure is autonomous and requires no input from the local Processor to function. Tiered: This Structure is Tiered, and can be upgraded to provide greater functionality. In this case, every Tier adds additional production runs and storage capacity. Self Supporting: This Structure is able to fuel and repair itself, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Modular: This structure is Modular, this allows this structure to be added to a complex, Biome specific connections will be added to allow its materials to be sent off and materials received without the involvement of a Transport Hub drone. Connecting a Refinery to a Transport Hub for example allows the Transport Hub to directly move the materials from the Hub, instead of having to pick it up at the refinery first. While connecting a Refinery to a Builder Hub, allows the Builder Hub drones to pick up the materials directly at the Builder Hub. Many other connections are possible. Builder Hub Origin: Liiri Support Commission Builder Hubs procure the needed building materials from local refineries and then using drones build new structures within range. They can also maintain and repair structures but only after a structure has been deactivated by the Controller or by damage. This process is largely automated, but the Controller Liiri may prioritize structures for building and maintenance/repair. Each Builder hub comes with four drones. Each drone can be assigned to different worksites but it is usually more efficient to have them working on a single site. Processor: 5 Traits: Biome Specific, Drone, Upgradable, Tiered, Self Supporting, Modular Biome Specific: This Structure is specialized for the Biome it is built in. When built underwater (Deep Sea) its systems are hardened against the water, and its drones are similarly specialized so they can operate within the Biome. In Space, it is hardened against common radiological events, and its drones are capable of moving in a Zero-G environment Drone: This Structure uses Drones to perform its task, these drones can be damaged or destroyed during operation. They will need to be replaced and will automatically order replacements from a nearby Drone Fabricator. Upgradable: This structure has been designed with specific upgrades. An upgrade is much like a specialization and can be used to boost a specific and specialized need. The Maintenance Drone upgrade for instance provides docking for two Maintenance drones which then will automatically provide maintenance to structures in range without requiring them to be shut down. Tiered: This Structure is Tiered, and can be upgraded to provide greater functionality. In this case, every Tier adds additional drone docks and more storage capacity. Note: Upgrading a Tier does not provide the additional drones. Self Supporting: This Structure is able to fuel and repair itself, this trait is due to using an Assembler swarm to construct this structure. Modular: This structure is Modular, this allows this structure to be added to a complex, Biome specific connections will be added to allow its materials to be sent off and materials received without the involvement of a Transport Hub drone. Connecting a Refinery to a Builder Hub, allows the Builder Hub drones to pick up the materials directly at the Builder Hub. Many other connections are possible. Niomi spent some time reading over the information. It was probably the third or fourth time she had done so, but she felt it was worth doing it again to fix it in her mind. Besides, there may have been more information unlocked when it finished building. Like she got when the Mindscape crashed. Niomi was really happy that all the Economy was automated. Ore miners would automatically seek out the correct ores for the Refineries to process so that the Builder Hubs could build. She wished there was a way to stockpile resources now, instead of waiting for her Builder Hub to require it. After asking Manual about she learned there were several types of storage facilities that can be built. Resolving to do so when she got the chance she waited until the Builder Hub and Transport Hub was finished. Niomi accelerated time again. Not wanting to waste the time sitting around reading like she did the last time. As soon as the Builder Hub was complete she loaded its status. Builder Hub #1 Status: Green, No Faults Transport Hub Connection: 1 Refinery Connection: 1 Jobs: None It was looking like it should. So she sent that status to one of the stations below her. Niomi knew she could call it back at any time but decided to start populating her little control room with various statuses so it looked more alive and not some static background. Then she paused in thought. Running through the various menus of the Mindscape she found the option she wanted. She created an NPC or at least that''s what she thought of it. A human man now sat at that station down below, apparently working at the station with the Builder Hub Status. With a few more commands she had all the status windows transferred to a station below with a man manning it. They were all movie stars from her memory. After a little more digging and she found an option to automate the process so that every new construction would automatically generate a new NPC at a station below. Looking around Nimoi spotted the station with the status for the Communication Relay. Bringing up the configuration for that NPC she changed it to look more distinctive. It was no longer human but looked like a gold plated human-like android from a TV series she liked as a kid. As Niomi remembers it, it was annoying even when it was being helpful and if that status window changed she didn''t want to be distracted by a good-looking face besides it would always make her smile to see it out in a crowd of fake people. Next Niomi looked at the building menu. It had changed from last time, gone were all the Assembler swarm options. Except there was now a timer beside the Assembler swarm menu. Looking closer she found that the timer was for when the next swarm would be ready. This excited Niomi until she realized it would take over a year before the next one was ready. With a sigh, she pulled up the Builder Hub menu. Much like the Assembler swarm menu, there were a lot of options and all color-coded to mean different things, mostly requirements, and prerequisites that she didn''t meet. She could build everything she could have before with the Assembler swarms. It seemed she had not met the requirement for anything yet. What was worse was that the Self-supporting trait was gone as well although that wasn''t a big surprise. But then she saw a building in the yellow that she remember Liiri-54 talked about in that foot note, the Development Center. She loaded its information to see what made this structure special. Liiri Development Center Origin: Liiri Support Commission The Development Center allows a Controller Liiri to modify blueprints for usages not provided for by the Liiri Support Commission. With the use of a Support AI modifications can research can be handed off to run as a background process. Servitors may also be assigned to the structure to aid in this process. Prerequisite: Complex Core Complex Core Processor: 25 Traits: Upgradable, Modular, Large, Habitable Upgradable: This structure has been designed with specific upgrades. An upgrade is much like a specialization and can be used to boost a specific and specialized need. Such as the Propulsion Labs, This lab will provide access to additional forms of propulsion, that may or may not be specific to a biome that can be accessed in your current star system. Modular: This structure is Modular, this allows this structure to be added to a complex, Biome specific connections will be added to allow its materials to be sent off and materials received without the involvement of a Transport Hub drone. Large: This structure is large, it takes up three times the normal space of a standard-sized structure. Habitable: This structure can be pressurized and heated to allow access to an organic race. This was an interesting structure. It looked like it could be used to research new technologies just like in a game. It also looked like it could be upgraded to provide specific access to technology groups like Propulsion. Niomi wondered what else it could be upgraded with or if she would need to build more Development Centers. Also, it was the first time she saw something use a Processor other than the Main one she used. It required a Complex Core Processor, which means the Complex Core has its own Processor Core too. Looking into it Niomi found she could build the Complex Core but couldn''t power it. For that out of her available options she had the Solar Power Plant or the Fusion Power Plant. Both required materials gathered using a Gas Collector, and the Fusion Plant also required Volatiles, which she learned was actually HE3, In both cases, she needed to build more Space miners to collect at least the Gases needed. She imminently ordered the construction of the Space Gas Collector. Since she would need it to build either or both structures. Ultimately she decided to build the Fusion Generator over the Solar Collector. Niomi was initially leaning towards the Solar Collector since it required less maintenance and no extra resources or so it looked like at the start. However, after a little more looking into she discovered that for it to be useful it needed to be built in open space so it could orient towards the star. Her Builder Hub could reach a good location. But this would mean she would need some way to get the power back to her base. Which would mean either a Microwave Transmission Station and Microwave Receiving Station for energy, or an Energy Cell Fabricator, which would mean transporting these fancy named batteries back and forth from the Collector. To Nimoi she felt it wasn''t worth it. Since she would need the Volatiles Harvester for more than just fueling her Fusion Generator. The Generator also had a better power to cost ratio after considering the Transmission or Energy Cell method. Niomi queued up another Asteroid Ore Miner, a Space Gas Collector, A Volatiles Harvester, a Landing field, the Fusion Generator, Complex Core, and Development Center in that order. She considered adding another Refinery or Builder Hub or both to the queue but the helpful timer attached to the queue showed that it only increased although not by much. She arranged the Structures so that they could all attach to the Complex Core when complete. She learned about the landing field when she asked Manual if there was any way of decreasing the time it took to unload the Miners, Collectors, and Harvesters. It wasn''t an actual building as it was more of a flatted field next to a Refinery or Transport Hub. The Transport Hub Drones would actually build a road automatically should traffic reach a predetermined level. Niomi set this to low, so it would build as soon as it could, even if eventually, it would become obsolete when she built a spaceport and tied everything into the complex using the Complex core. She had placed all the structures next to each other on OBJ83053, or Homerock as she was calling it. Each structure conformed to a hex grid that the system spread over the little planetoid. She learned that each structure would automatically connect to each other if placed next to each other and if there was a Complex Core connected to its adjacent structure. Niomi learned that some structures also gave what she called adjacency bonuses to each other. Refineries for instance when placed next to each other provided a free Refinery Run. Actually, it was more complicated than that, each refinery gained half of a run, which when added together makes a full run. As to why this was important to note was because it was half a run per run a refinery could do. So if she upgraded the Tier it would provide a full run per adjacent refinery along with its other bonuses. She also learned that if one was upgraded with a Foundry, for instance, its bonus would apply to all adjacent refineries as well. This meant that in the future she would have to be careful how she placed her structures since she could lose out on some serious adjacency bonuses. As soon as she confirmed her build plan her eye was caught as the Builder Hub NPC guy got up and went over to talk to the Transport Hub guy, who then went over to talk to the Refinery guy, who got up and when to talk to the Asteroid Ore Miner guy. After a moment of shock, Niomi laughed and clapped her hands in joy. She remembered Liiri-54''s footnote telling her that the Mindscape was reactive, she supposed this is what it meant. She had set those NPCs to represent the systems/programs/status of the various structures so the Mindscape must have read her intentions to make the Control Room more lively. Chapter 4 Two and a half months later found a very frustrated Niomi. Who was frustrated at how long everything was taking. The Development Center sat unused and mostly unusable. She had thought it would come with a Support AI that it needed but it didn''t. For the last two weeks, she had been trying to figure out how to use it to do anything without one. She could modify the blueprints of everything she had access to all the way down to and beyond the screws used. Yet without any actual knowledge about what she was doing she couldn''t be sure if any modification would help. The most she had managed to do was add some paint to the structures, and a logo on the side of them. It was amazing to see when the Builder hub updated each of the structures with the logo after she had upgraded the Builder Hub with the Maintenance Drone upgrade. When Nomi asked Manual about the situation and how to get the Development Center operational it just said a Support AI or Servitors were needed. Yet she had not come across either yet, in fact, she didn''t even know what Servitors were yet since information on whatever they were was locked, or so Manual said. In the meantime, she had expanded what she could build. She now had six Asteroid Ore Miners, four Gas Collectors, and two Volitiles Harvesters. She also had four Refineries, two Builder hubs, the Transport Hub, the Complex Core, seven different types of storage facilities, and the Development Center of course. The Complex Core was interesting though since it had room to run programs on. Not that she had many to run, but as an experiment, she loaded a copy of the Mindscape program and told it to create a virtual environment identical to the local area, and she spent a day or two just walking around her base. She figured that if she observed the way the technologies worked maybe she could figure out how to change and modify them and maybe improve them. Every day she also read from the extremely complicated documentation that was provided for each structure. It was during the third time she was walking through her base when she suddenly and unexpectedly found herself back in her control room. She found a young man waiting by her desk. She stared in shock for a moment but the person didn''t seem to react to her appearance. Pulling up the metadata on the man she learned that this was the representation of the Senors system on the Class Three Probe. She found that this relieved her greatly to know that her mindscape hadn''t been invaded by some stranger, yet also somewhat disappointed that she wasn''t actually meeting someone new. It was a few months since Niomi had spoken to anyone and she was starting to get a little lonely. As soon as Niomi sat the man saluted and held that pose. She was a little taken aback by this, she could remember none of the other NPC programs doing this. She was at a loss for words for a moment before saying the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Report?¡± Nomi asked. ¡°Yes ma''am! Seven sensor anomalies have been detected, these readings are consistent with wormhole apertures ma''am.¡± the man declared. ¡°Wormholes? Well, the literature said they were pretty common between most star systems. Wait you said seven?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°Yes ma''am!¡± he said with a gesture to the large holo-projector in the center of the room. The Projector came to life and showed a map of the solar system with the star in the center. Icons representing the base on Homerock and the various craft she had moving about the system were shown. Then she saw two different groups of icons, two on one side system. If she used Homerock as the zero point, which she decided she would. The first two icons, which were pulsing concentric circles in blue, would sit at the edge of the system at about 205 degrees. While the second group of icons, also blue pulsing concentric circles, sat at 40 degrees. When she focused on the icons, plots indicating speed and direction appeared, and as she watched they changed in both speed and directions. ¡°Wait is this data current or are you updating it as detected?¡± Niomi asked. One of the instructional videos she watched over the last three months dealt with space combat and introduced her to the concept of light-lag, or sensor-lag. Depending on the form the sensor took, and the medium it used sensors were limited in the information they received. It took time for a signal to travel across a star system. Even light takes a long time to travel across a solar system. Light from the Sun takes around forty-three minutes to reach Jupiter, and if you were waiting for a return on that light it would take another forty-three minutes to return. Meaning anything you saw on Jupiter to an observer on the Sun was forty-three minutes old already. ¡°This sensor data is real-time ma''am¡± the man which she decided to name Eyes said. ¡°Zero-Delay¡± That was impressive, but then she knew the Probe used some pretty advanced Liiri Tech to scan the solar system upon arrival too, and it had marked all the resources in the system. She had no idea how it did it but having real-time information about anything entering the system would give her a huge tactical advantage. Then she remembered she only had some miners and a small refinery base, with a still useless Development Center. Niomi looked up from this thought as saw the plots change again, the first pair, swinging over to bring their path closer to the star, where it stopped on an intercept path to the first world in the solar system. It looked intentional. ¡°Eyes, are these ships?¡± She asked with a small note of incredulity. ¡°Both groups sensor profiles are consistent with spacecraft ma''am¡± Eyes reported without turning around. As she watched the second group''s plot changed and swung over to rest on the second planet, Ares. Niomi stood and walked over to the edge of the platform looking down at the twenty-eight people below the railing of the walkway that represented her forces such as they were. ¡°Ok everyone, Go Dark!¡± Niomi said using a term she had learned in the same video about sensor-lag. ¡°No unnecessary communication. Shut down all operations and reduce all emissions to the minimum.¡± The NPCs turned back to their stations quickly seemed to power down everything. To Niomi this looked like they powered down their stations and then faded from view until they were ghosts sitting at stations that were off. ¡°Feels kind of creepy¡± Niomi muttered to herself. Then with a panicked thought, she turned back to see Eyes still standing facing her desk without moving or fading. With a sigh, she returned to her seat. ¡°Eyes can they detect any of my structures or ships?¡± Niomi asked ¡°While we retain in QEC with each of the structures, they should not be able to detect them after the next hundred forty-six minutes barring direct visual observations. Also, our emissions to this point have been very low and should go unnoticed as part of the normal solar variance unless their sensors are much in advanced than their evident drive technology. Both the Communication relay and the Probe are covered in an advanced Liiri Stealth generator, and are difficult for Liiri Sensors to detect, and should remain undetectable regardless.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. That was more information then she asked for, so she checked his data again but didn''t learn much more but she suspected this NPC was actually an AI or as one of the documents she read called them Lower Order Intelligences or Expert Systems. Not sentient like a Support AI or AGI but capable of advanced reasoning all the same within their area of expertise. None of the other NPCs she had created showed any initiative yet Eyes was created by the system and was able to force her return. Yet this was something she was sure she could look into later. As it turned out she ended up having plenty of time to look into it. Space is vast and ships slow, these ships seemed much slower than her own miners taking well over a week to get to their respective worlds where they stayed for some time. Eyes reported that he detected radio emissions from both groups targeting each other. Yet it was too scattered and he lacked any encoding information to decode it. Or at least that''s what Eyes told her on more than one occasion when she asked. However, they did learn that there were three types of ships. The first group, the one consisting of two ships, were both similar in size and shape. Both were rounded cylinders three hundred and sixty-three meters long with a beam or diameter of fifty-five meters. Both ships seemed to carry a host of smaller craft which they used extensively exploring the first world. Eyes categorized them as heavy cruisers using some scale that the Liiri used that included both the mass and size to determine its category. Niomi didn''t really care either way since to her their role determined its category, not its size. The second group of five ships was one large disk-shaped ship three hundred and forty-three meters across and forty-nine meters deep at the edges and ninety-eight meters deep at the center. While the four smaller ships were also disk-shaped eighty-four meters across and seven to fourteen meters from edge to center deep. The smaller ships would dock with the larger ship in slots that went all the way through the hull. The smaller ships seemed to be able to land on Aries just fine and spent a lot of time flying around the planet. After the first few days of panic and then diving into the Liiri provided documentation for another few days. Niomi slowly calmed down when nothing happened. And then more nothing happened. By the third week, Niomi was using the Time compression utility a lot before finally setting it to alert her if there were any changes in the behavior of the ships and effectively going to sleep while they did whatever aliens did when exploring a system. Both groups spent close to a month at their respective planets before moving to exchange places. This changed on the fourth day of the second month the aliens were in the system. The group of two which Niomi has been calling the Twins suddenly and unexpectedly changed course while passing through the first debris disk or asteroid belt on the way to the second planet. Eyes confirmed a moment later that the two ships were on an intercept course for one of her Ore Miners. After a day the second group which Niomi had been thinking of as the Mother and Daughters, also changed course to intercept the same rock in space. When Niomi asked Eyes how they detected the Ore Miner, he told her it may have been the higher than normal albedo of the asteroid caused by the exposed ore. This was fancy talk for saying the asteroid was shiny. The fact that both groups seemed to be coordinating meant they were on friendly terms with each other. But the fact that they seemed to be in the process of duplicating each other''s survey may mean they don''t actually trust each other. Niomi really wished she could ask someone about this, Manual would only repeat that it lacked any information on the topic of alien interaction other than the general warning to avoid it. When the Twins were about half a day away when they slowed significantly much more than they needed to if they were moving to intercept the asteroid and the miner coming to a stop relative to the asteroid. Eyes and Manual had no explanation. But from the high amount of radio traffic between the Twins and the Mother and Daughters told Niomi that they had detected the Ore Miner after all, just not at first. The Twins waited a few light seconds away from the asteroid Niomi started to refer to as The Shiny. Light seconds, minutes, and hours it turned out were how the Liiri and many other civilizations in space determined distance, although every civilization called them something else. In Niomi''s case, it was taken from the Earth time scales, rather than some Liiri source. This she learned was to prevent any civilization that might capture her hardware and it was implied herself, would be unable to figure out where the bulk of the Liiri Collective was from. When both groups were a similar distance from The Shiny they accelerated and intercepted the asteroid, taking up positions on either side of the rock in space. For the first time, Niomi had a good look at the ships visually. By this point, she more or less memorized the various ships'' dimensions and capabilities, at least as far as had been shown up to this point but she had to admit the Twins were beautiful to look at. While the various sensors showed the dimensions of a ship and told her how fast they were moving, how much energy they radiated, they didn''t show her how a ship looked. Each Twin was decorated or painted with swirling patterns of various colors, one with blue and orange swirls mixed with some green and white. While the other was black and white with blue and green mixed in. It reminded Niomi of Celtic art she had seen in the past with flowing curving repeating lines. The Mother and Daughters were interesting to look at, although they looked more generic to Niomi. Flying saucers had been done to death in Scifi. Yet the hulls of all the ships had an interesting with an almost organic look to them covered with an iridescent sheen. Eyes would tell her when she asked that it couldn''t determine the nature of the hull on those ships without a direct sample. For three and a half days a stand-off seemed to play out with radio messages lighting up the spectrum over and over as the two groups seemed to discuss or maybe argue over what to do. Or so Niomi imagined that''s what was happening. Then on the third day, a small group of ships from the Twins approached her Ore Miner. These ships were delta-winged craft that Eyes classified as space planes, able to go to and from orbit by themselves on efficient if lower power ion/plasma hybrid systems. Like the main ships, they came from they also were painted. White and Black from the similarly colored ship and Blue and Orange the other. They were fairly small at twenty-eight meters long, Eyes suggested they could probably hold about six adult humans. Then one of the smaller flying saucers approached and small drones came from an opening near the center and crossed the distance to examine the Ore Miner. At least Niomi and Eyes both thought they must be at only three meters long. To Niomi they almost looked like they were beetle shaped. A few hours later they too returned to their mother ship. Nothing happened for a day after that, aside from near-constant communication between the two groups. Then both groups send more people to investigate Niomi''s poor Ore Miner. Niomi for her part was not taking the stress of not knowing what is happening well. She wanted nothing more than to do something, anything, to change things up and make something happen. This is what all those shows back on Earth got wrong she supposed, First contact isn''t always a handshake and universal translator away but a slow arduous process. ¡°Ma''am the Twins seem to be landing a crew on our Ore Miner.¡± Eyes spoke up startling Niomi from her introspection well into the second hour of the second visit. ¡°Crews? We can see them?¡± Niomi asked. ¡°Yes, three individuals, approximately one hundred twenty-five to one hundred thirty-five kilograms.¡± Eyes said bringing up an image in the holo-display in the center of the control room. Three Individuals indeed floated from an airlock onboard their ship towards the middle of her Ore Miner. Niomi remembered there was indeed a compartment meant for maintenance access near the middle of the craft, its access hatch was clearly marked on the hull too. Then it occurred to her, they were humanoid. Two legs, two arms, and one head, their suits colored in the same swirling patterns as their ships just on a much smaller scale. One was black patterned with white highlights while the other two were patterned in green and blue. ¡°What do you think the colors mean,¡± Niomi asked aloud. ¡°Insufficient data to make a judgment¡± Eyes responded in a deadpan. Niomi sighed, it had been a rhetorical question. As she watched the trio, slowly approached her Ore Miner.