Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 65: A Change Shall Come!
Chapter 65: A Change Shall Come!

Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas

Science is cautious; it will not have a seismic change on the word of a person, even if said person is the leader of man. Therefore, even if Yao Yuan demanded it, the scientists would not provide the answer to his question on the spot.

This is especially true when we take into consideration the bunch of scientists Yao Yuan was pressuring. They were powerful people in their respective fields. It was not based on ingenuity alone that they reached the heights they were at; they would not be easily pushed.

Yao Yuan was befuddled as to why his commands had had no discernable effect. The scientists paid him no heed. Instead, they ignored him and started discussing the research details of the joint committees. The slew of scientific jargon made Yao Yuan feel even more like an outsider.

After the discussion had reached its conclusion, a representative informed Yao Yuan that the Academy would require more time to conduct more tests before it could provide Yao Yuan with a definite answer.

Hearing that, Yao Yuan was relieved. While the discussion was going on, he was starting to second-guess the tone he used in his directives. The matter was urgent, but the scientists knew that as well; it was perhaps too harsh for him to push them like that.

Therefore, in the following hours, he knew that he had to restrict himself from dropping by the Academy every few minutes to check up on their progress. Thus, he shifted his attention to the still ongoing mining operation.

However, before long, people started approaching him with requests, conflicts, and petitions. These included military, civil, and political matters.

Before this, space warping and adventures on Planet Sahara had kept the Hope incredibly occupied. Other than issues of delegation, Yao Yuan didn’t have much to worry about.

However, with the advent of civilian tenements, currency, and a burgeoning work force, the things Yao Yuan had to look after had increased multifold. Added to that was the matter of space mining, so Yao Yuan’s plate was full.

Therefore, he was seriously considering erecting a government.

If he were to go through with the idea, Yao Yuan knew that he would have to veto the idea of having an election. He knew that he would get a landslide victory in the first few elections, so why not skip the formality? Furthermore, he was unsure of whether or not having elections would lead to true democracy on the Hope.

They were, after all, in space. Their situation was much more volatile and elections would only allow the dissidents an easy channel to provoke anarchy. Also, he was certain that the elected representative would not be as good at the job as he was; he was sure they would falter under the pressure.

Therefore Yao Yuan was clear that a democratic government was impossible. For the sake of the people, he had to keep reign over unassailable political and military rights.

On the other hand, the system couldn’t be absolutely dictatorial. Yao Yuan was sure that he was a fair leader, but he couldn’t say the same about other people in power. There needed to be some form of check and balance.

This meant that a House of Representatives [not Senate] was necessary.

Then, there was the issue of legislation. Obviously a distinction was needed between military law and civil law. However, Yao Yuan felt that they needed also a space law, law that pertained to the Hope and its survival. There must be a hierarchy between the three laws, and the space law could even be the basis of the Hope’s constitution, but those were matters to be discussed with legal experts.

After that, he had to deal with the multiple branches and departments. There had to be a Department of Military Affairs that handled everything related to the Hope’s army, from space exploration to army recruitment. One department might seem like too little, but the Hope only had 2,000 or so soldiers, so one department was more than sufficient.

Then he needed a Hall of Innovation and Communications. These included government and press secretaries, logistics people. It was called a hall and not a department because it would serve a wide variety of purposes.

Also, not to be forgotten was the Department of Science and Technology that would handle all forms of interactions with the Academy. These included their supply demands and benefits.

The Department of News and Broadcast would only have one news agency at its center to handle all press-related affairs. This was to prepare for the future when the Hope would have more than one news source.

The Department of Industry to handle all matters related to the Workshop.

The Department of Finance with its jurisdiction of currency and price monitoring…

After ten days of idling, the mining expedition had grown to about a fleet of 240, and its daily salvage easily surpassed the 1,000 ton mark. Furthermore, the radioactive fuel collected thus far was more than enough to support two more space warps…

The time was already late afternoon when Debinou finished his daily sweep of two residential areas. He still had to sweep the same area again later at night because his job had two shifts. It wasn’t a particularly demanding job, but it was highly mind-numbing. However, Debinou was thankful for the job because with the Hope’s 20% unemployment rate, he considered himself lucky to still have a job. He understood that he was no longer on Earth, where he had access to his glory and wealth…

Debinou wandered over to his everyday spot to catch up with the rest of the cleaning crew. Reclining on the park bench, they started sharing their day’s affairs. The main topic was how the Hope’s mining expedition had been breaking the 1,000 ton mark for the past few days.

This was also a precious time for Debinou to enjoy his daily cigarette... It was an expensive habit, but Debinou still needed time to curb the addiction. Thankfully, his salary still allowed him to enjoy one cigarette each day.

Suddenly, an electromobile stopped in front of them and two soldiers descended from it. Then they marched towards Debinou’s group.

There was palpable nervousness within Debinou’s group, but there was no hint of fear because Yao Yuan had trained his men and women well. There had been no reports of military and civilian dispute so far.

The two soldiers gave a deep bow when they reached the group of cleaners. The European soldier proceeded to hand Debinou a document, saying, “Is it Mr. Debinou? The Major requests your presence at command central at four this afternoon. This document will allow you access into the Barracks.” With that, the two soldiers gave another bow, climbed on to the electromobile, and left.

Debinou was too stunned to say a single word through the whole exchange. He came to his senses as people around him urged him to look at the document. It was a simple document with a cut-out of his resume.

However, when Debinou saw the cut-out part, his heart skipped a beat…

It detailed his experience as an ex state economic advisor…

Debinou was incredibly excited, but he calmly bid his leave and sauntered home. Under his family’s questioning eyes, he put on the best suit he had and walked over to central command…

At seven that night, Debinou was officially made the Hope’s first director for the Department of Finance. His benefits would be similar to that of an intern at the Academy…

It was the twelfth day the Hope had idled near the meteorite cluster when Yao Yuan came across the reports that stated that they had run out of materials to manufacture mining airships. Yao Yuan frowned.

Then, a knock resounded through central command, and after Yao Yuan issued his permission to enter, a brunette walked in, announcing, “Major, Silewei and the rest of the scientists are here.”

Yao Yuan nodded. “Okay, please let them in.”

After the woman left, about ten scientists barged into the room. Before Yao Yuan could even get his question out, one of the scientists exclaimed excitedly, “Major, we’ve done it! A new energy circuit has been made, and it has been confirmed to be able to support a much higher voltage at a more stable rate!

“According to our calculations, after the Hope undergoes this update in hardware, it could withstand the maximum output from all three of our nuclear reactors. This means that the amount of load we can bring will be doubled! And there will no longer be risk of explosion and short circuiting!”