Max sat at his desk, scanning all of the inhabited planets that they would be passing on their way to the outer arms of the Galaxy and then cross-referencing them against the trade relations that each of them shared with the Reavers and with Cygnus, who was going to play a large part in the early stages of their plan to unify humanity.

After all, if they were going to build a species-wide mutual defense and trade agreement, they had to have the military might to back it up.

There would be no central government or anything of the sort. They had learned that lesson from human history. Trying to rule over too much territory only led to resentment and bitter civil wars, as well as an unchecked bureaucracy. Instead, they would have a court on Rae 5, where the ambassadors of the allied nations would gather, and those with grievances could come to request assistance or settle their disputes.

Max suspected that it would eventually turn into its own clique and bureaucracy, filled with massive egos and entitlement, but it was the best idea that they had come up with. Or at least the best one that could get popular support.

The first system that they would petition for support was the Klux Empire. A grandiose name for a three-system nation that was dangerously close to the Klem threat but one that was well known for its open trade policies and lack of instigation of conflicts.

It was an excellent choice of nations to bring in early, and it was along their route, so they wouldn't have to send another Reaver vessel out of their way to negotiate.

Max looked up more about the system and found that it was only an Empire in name only. They had no Emperor for the last few centuries and had formed a collective democracy. It wasn't working out particularly well for them, in Max's opinion, as the open trade policies were matched by nationwide poverty, so even though they could trade for nearly anything, they couldn't afford it.

They could be there in two days, even without using a portal, so Terminus was going there at Warp 5, its current maximum cruising speed.

The leader that they were trying to contact was a man who simply went by Joseph, not using any family name, and he had already sent them coordinates to dock with the large space station near the main planet, according to Admiral Drake.

[Nico, have we prepared enough trade goods to get them on board?] Max asked his second in command, who was in charge of shiny toys aboard Terminus.

[We have one hundred industrial-sized Replicators created, as well as two of the old Kepler design Materials Printers, which Klux doesn't have any of right now. All their building is done traditionally to ensure complete employment of the population.

There is a chance that they won't want them at all, but I have come up with an altered design that better suits their preferences.] Nico replied.

[Better suits their preferences? How so? It's still a materials printer.] Max asked.

[I designed a console that separates every function into different screens so that you can have twenty workers cooperating on the same assembly line. If they make a load of them and fully staff them instead of automating the process, they can waste an immense amount of manpower.] Nico replied with a note of amusement in her synthetic voice.

She was getting better and better at complex emotions with the artificial voice box as she evolved her body. Soon, Max was certain that he wouldn't be able even to pick out the last notes of the artificial speech patterns which she had begun with.

It was a nice change from her teasing everyone with that extra sultry tone that had been in the default settings.

[Every nation has its own priorities. Klux likes to see everyone capable of working having steady employment and equal wages. There's no harm in humoring them.]

Max didn't particularly care what they did with their planets, as long as it didn't violate the basic standards set by the Reavers or cause violence with others. The alliance had agreed not to step into internal strife unless it was funded or instigated by outsiders, so even if their method caused a civil war, it wasn't their problem, assuming it didn't interfere with their alliance obligations.

[Do we have anything else for them?] Max asked, sure if a single trade good would be enough to secure a deal.

[There are agreements to let them purchase new ships and space station technologies. They don't use a Mecha Army and prefer an advanced infantry force with powered armor instead, so I have also included some improved armor designs for them to purchase at a discount after joining the alliance.]

A membership discount? That might actually be the best selling point for a lot of their partners.

[Alright, make sure it is all ready and staged when we get there.] Max ordered and returned to immersing himself in the data about their destination.

Near midnight, Max retired to bed, barely bothering to dry himself after his evening shower before dropping into bed.

He woke up in the morning curled around a soft and cool object that smelled faintly of military-issue shampoo and that unique odor that a mechanics bay always seemed to pick up.

"Good morning Nico. Did you sleep well?" He asked, trying to disentangle himself.

"Shut up and go back to sleep. It's still far too early to be up, and there are no new updates for you to deal with," Nico complained, refusing to open her eyes.

"It's time for my morning workout. Are you getting up, or will you just hang off me all morning?" He joked, moving to a sitting position.

"Have it your way. Come to the test bay after your workout. I have something cool to show you." Nico agreed, climbing out of bed and wandering next door to her own room to shower.