Book 7, Chapter 105 - Closing the Deal

Cloudhawk returned to h.e.l.lflower after only thirty minutes .  

“So fast?” She thought he was going to have a much harder time of negotiating with the AI, but her expectations appeared wrong . “How did everything go?”

“Ark Base and the Green Alliance have come to an understanding . A market will be established in the wastes where Ark Base will provide weapons, equipment and other technologies . The Green Alliance will exchange them for resources the base needs . This should provide enough materials to support us through this war . ”

It was a good result, but not perfect . Cloudhawk’s intention had been to turn Ark Base into a Green Alliance factory . The capabilities of this place were incredible, even more so if it were geared entirely for war .

Father, of course, would not allow it to go that far . Cloudhawk didn’t push him . The city beneath Emerald Star was coming online soon, and once things were settled it would also be able to supply whatever Greenland’s army needed .

A surprised grin stretched across h.e.l.lflower’s face . He’d done well .

“You managed to convince it in only thirty minutes?”

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“You know, it wasn’t as complicated as it seemed . ” Cloudhawk was nonchalant with his reply . “Father had countless reasons to refuse me but no power to throw me out . It realized that if I wanted to cause problems, I could even give it’s metallic brain a headache . ”

Cloudhawk was getting stronger by the day . Father had no effective means of keeping him out, making this human Ark Base’s most troublesome visitor . Thus rendered helpless, Father had no choice but to compromise .

His threats weren’t empty words, either . Father recognized this and changed its a.n.a.lysis with new information . Ultimately, the risks of cooperation were tolerable so long as it was limited to providing equipment . Manpower was intolerable .

“Excellent la . ” Tang Zhonghua got confirmation from Father and beamed with satisfaction . It was a great outcome for his people . Even as a supporter of the Green Alliance, he did not want to see original humans fighting on the front lines . Neither did he want his home to become just a factory under the yolk of Greenland’s rule .  

Trade was the perfect middle ground . Once the market was established, Ark Base could offload its sizable caches of surplus . As the war ramped up and demand increased, Ark Base stood to make tremendous gains . War drove productivity . It meant the opportunity for historic profit . This could be a period of transformation for ancient humans .  

That night Tang Zhonghua brought Cloudhawk on a tour of their manufacturing plants .  

“We are all that’s left of ancient people la, but we weren’t ready for sudden catastrophe . Most of what our ancestors learned is forgotten . Even in Ark Base there are mu areas that do not function as they used to . ”

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“But as they said in old earth, ‘every coin has two sides . ’ Father is a powerful engine of research . It has made strides in robotics, virtual reality, information technology and weapons development . In na areas we are no less impressive than our forebears . ”

As the president spoke, the ma.s.sive doors of the warehouse rumbled open . Cloudhawk and h.e.l.lflower stared with wide eyes when the rows upon rows of metal racks revealed . There were hundreds of them and each one housed scores of gleaming metallic bodies . Robots . All were built to resemble humans except for dramatically curved spines that gave them a constant hunch . This was by design, as the robots moved by curling inward and rolling like wheels .

“These are Ark Base’s war machines . They’re quick, adaptable and capable of flight . Each one is equipped with st.u.r.dy energy s.h.i.+elds and laser weapons . If they are damaged they activate a hydrogen nuclear battery and self-destruct among the enemy . ”

“Ark Base has the skills to produce even deadlier machines but have felt no need . We are safe here, la . Na batch has been sitting here for over a hundred years . ”

Cloudhawk had seen Ark Base’s robots in action firsthand . The surface of Stony Planes was crawling with robotic facsimiles of ordinary critters . They were cogs in a complex and unique ecology . But their design was to gather energy, not fight .

These robots in storage . This was the secret army of Ark Base .  

Mankind’s enormous interstellar shelter was controlled by the omnipotent Father . Administrative duties were wholly under the control of an artificial intelligence . As a result society ran smoothly, resources were plentiful and civil unrest a rare anomaly . Just as Tang Zhonghua said, Ark Base and Earth City didn’t need weapons .

Cloudhawk, however, needed as many as he could get his hands on . These robots, squirreled away for a hundred years, were just waiting for purpose . Furthermore, Ark Base had a number of factories ready to meet the demands of the Green Alliance .

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Totally selfless support was too much to ask for, of course . There were reasons Tang Zhonghua was offering these incredible weapons .

Cloudhawk nodded . “How much for all of them?”

“All la? Not a small number . ” Tang Zhonghua was struck by Cloudhawk’s appet.i.te . “Better to ask the Green Alliance what they are willing to trade . ”

Cloudhawk looked to h.e.l.lflower for an answer . She pulled a transparent crystal from her pocket and handed it to the president .

“Have a look, Mr . President . This is Greenland’s most recent discovery, a new universal resource never before seen . We call it ‘Source . ’”

“Universal resource?” Tang Zhonghua repeated, turning the crystal over in his hand .

“That’s right . Source is a unique state of energy that can be converted into any other substance . It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s the most precious resource in the universe . Our Alliance will use this as currency in our trade negotiations . ”

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Tang Zhonghua did not take their word on face value . Turning a robot by his side, he placed the Source crystal in its hand . The machine scanned it and then spat out its a.n.a.lysis in a feminine voice .

“Acceptable . ”

Everything in Ark Base was connected through an internet . Everything – even these robots – were an extension of Father . If Father agreed with these terms it meant the Source was a valuable resource . Even more valuable than eboncrys .

Cloudhawk’s generous offers to Ark Base were also for a reason . Greenland had more Source than it could use . It was an excellent currency that could meet any demand Ark Base may have .

The market would be an excellent opportunity for mutual benefit .  

Father spoke into Tang Zhonghua’s earpiece . It explained the worth of Source and how it would provide well for the future of Ark Base . Father authorized the sale of however many robots Cloudhawk wanted, so long as he paid in Source .

Was this stuff really that precious? It must be if Father was so compliant . Tang Zhonghua was thrilled . “Ark Base has many advanced technologies to share . Come, I will show you ba . ”

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