Chapter 32: Chapter 32, Courtesy Light but Affection Deep
The news of cult proliferation sent everyone in Revival City into a frenzy.
However, the instigator of the crisis, His Excellency the Governor, seemed to have no sense of urgency at the moment.
Early the next morning, he began to address the food supply issue of his territory and once again made contact with the “Quintet” above.
Colonel Yelisia still showed him no kindness in her expression.
Gu Hang was indifferent to this, even understanding.
Had he been in her shoes, having his wool sheared by others haphazardly day after day, his reaction would have been more intense than Yelisia’s.
Considering how empathetic I’m being, why don’t you just hand over the synthetic starch technology to me?
Of course, Gu Hang knew he couldn’t just ask for it for nothing; he had to offer something in return.
“Colonel Yelisia, I’ve brought you another piece of good news!”
Upon hearing this, Yelisia remembered the loss of her three thousand slaves, three hundred mech servants, a pile of weapons and equipment, and the four Strider Vs.
Her heart ached.
As for the previous gift of a Marine Corps captain?
Was there such a thing? She didn’t recall.
Yelisia said with a stern face, “Your Excellency’s good news always comes at a high price.”
“How could that be? I am sharing our achievements with the best of partners.”
“If you have something serious to say, then get on with it.”
“About the issue of heretic cultists brewing on Rage Owl Star, I’ve already made some progress. I’ve captured a cult member, who happens to be a high-ranking official in the planet’s government!”
On hearing this, Yelisia became grave, “Has it deteriorated to such an extent? Tell me where the enemies are, and I will eliminate them.”
“No, no, no, it’s not time for that yet. I’ll soon track down the exact whereabouts of these cultists, and by then, I may need you to send your elite Marine Corps, even the power of the Shipborne Church, to assist me in cleansing these heretics.”
“It’s possible, but it would be best if you could create an opportunity for me to conduct orbital bombardment directly.”
“I’ll try my best.”
Yelisia had no reason not to agree to this. Orbital bombardment was the most convenient; if ground troops were needed, that was fine too. She didn’t mind, as long as it meant earning merits.
Moreover, deploying the Marine Corps was different from the previous situation where people were said to be ‘lent’ but were essentially given away. The people ‘lent’ to Gu Hang were working for him on a long-term basis. With regards to missions, to fight or not, and how to fight, the entire command system was still under the starship’s control, with Gu Hang at best providing a target and some advisory suggestions.
It was not a conceptually similar situation.
Yelisia’s expression became somewhat calmer, and her heart relaxed a bit.
Her investment in the Governor seemed to be finally showing some sign of return.
Eradicating the heretic cult entrenched in the capital city of the planetary government somewhat counted as a noteworthy achievement.
Although it wasn’t a major victory, the prospect of a return on investment invited anticipation, and there were still two years left.
Yelisia, in a better mood, asked a question she would later somewhat regret: “Very well, is there anything else?”
“Yes, I need synthetic starch technology,” Gu Hang said.
Yelisia’s face stiffened.
I originally thought you were just here to deliver a message, but it turns out you’re here to ask for things, huh?
“I am only responsible for striking down the enemies of the Empire,” Yelisia said. “Supporting construction is not my job.”
“But this is for the purpose of striking down the enemies of the Empire!” Gu Hang argued. “What is at the core of the growth of cults? It’s when people see no hope. When they can’t even have enough to eat, they are easily tempted by cults. Synthetic starch technology could help us solve this problem.”
Yelisia felt that Gu Hang made sense, but… could saving people with this method be considered a naval victory?
As she pondered, Gu Hang’s voice came again: “Colonel Yelisia, please understand, it is necessary to wipe out our enemies with thunderous might. But if the situation deteriorates to an uncontrollable state, where salvation can only be achieved through utter destruction, that may not necessarily be a good thing.”
“A city corrupted by a cult then destroyed; or, the heretic cultists spread to a terrible extent, but are completely annihilated under the command of the madam colonel, with hundreds of thousands of citizens of the Empire saved. Please compare, which of the two scenarios is better?”
The destroyer, or the savior…
The former seems a bit cooler, but within the Empire—at least in the Tianma Star Sector—the latter holds more value.
Moreover, the identity of a savior aligns more with Yelisia’s current mission. She came to orbit Rage Owl Star for two years not to fight and destroy enemies but to assist the governor in reviving the planets.
At this point, Yelisia had to admit that Gu Hang’s argument had moved her once again.
She began to calculate what it would take to provide Gu Hang with the synthetic starch technology. Was the price too high?
The conclusion was, not particularly.
Starships of course have synthetic starch technology; during the long interstellar journeys, when resupply is scarce, the ability to recycle nearly any organic material into edible starch blocks is an essential auxiliary technology.
However, as important as it is, the synthetic starch machines aren’t used frequently. In peacetime, starships can get supplies fairly smoothly, and no one really wants to eat starch blocks.
Currently, the food reserves on the “Quintet” are quite abundant, enough to last for several years.
And besides, there’s more than one synthetic starch machine on the starship. Handing over one shouldn’t be a big problem.
Of course, what Gu Hang wants is the technology, not just the machine. But that’s not too troublesome either. Send down a logistician from the starship with one machine, some spare parts, and that should meet Gu Hang’s demands.
In theory, this should be enough for Gu Hang to produce his own synthetic starch manufacturing machines, provided he has a certain industrial base.
If he does not, there’s not much Yelisia could do: I’m not your mother, can I possibly feed you milk directly?
“I agree,” she said.
Having given her consent, a transport with technicians and equipment arrived on the ground and, when it returned, Gu Hang loaded it with a fair amount of goods.
According to him, these were gifts for Colonel Yelisia from Rage Owl Star, the specialty of the place. But in fact, they were just a small portion of the food and textile supplies brought from Revival City, allocated to be sent skyward.
It wasn’t meaningless, though; it would improve the crew’s diet on the starship and provide some supplies.
It was, in any case, a way to show that the governor did not take without giving in return!
As for the difference in the value of the two… it’s the thought that counts!
After watching the transport fly off into the distance, Gu Hang plunged back into his grand plans for expanding production.