Admiral Mei was given full authority to investigate the black market, identify the people who were engaged in marketing the cargo that belonged to the state, bring the suspects to the court and finally figure out where the said cargo ended up being. Of course we couldn't punish everyone who bought something off the black market - that would mean half the population; we just had to find the sellers to stop the organization.
And besides, the formation of a black market was partially our fault in the first place.
Professor Yamamari, on the other hand, was instructed to intercept any suspicious transportation in the underground city.
And as those issues were being taken care of, I could focus on more important subjects like the space station's repairs and the construction of the interstellar colony ship. Trying to create new ideas in my mind, I found myself walking to the Interstellar Transports Design Bureau.
"Mr. President!" said the first person who saw me entering their office. "What do we owe your visit to?"
"Nothing." I said. "I just wanted to check on the efforts."
"Great. Well, I think we repaired the station just enough to continue construction, Mr. President. We should get back to it at full speed in a week or so."
"Anything I can do to make this process faster?" I asked.
"Nothi- Oh, actually a few more light freighters would be nice." and engineer said. "You know, to carry construction material from the surface to the station."
"You'll get it." I said. "Anyway, let's come to the main issue..."
"The main issue?"
"I want to form a training department for those who will set sail on this sacred journey."
"Ah, that kind of thing." someone said. "Don't worry, Mr. President, the people we send will have all the necessary survival skills."
"I'm not talking about that." I said. "Those people we send will be a representation of the civilization they came from."
"Representing us to whom?"
"To our very own selves, if no one else." I said. "Years later, once they established their colony, they will contact us. That day, we wouldn't want to see a world run purely by money and greed, or a peace based on mutually assured destruction. We would like to see a truly peaceful, enlightened, accepting and helpful community which pursues advanced sciences and embraces nature as it is. A community that does things just to help its members."
"This is a hard task." said someone. "Especially in this city; where people are killing each other for resources or power, and the order is restored through the fear of someone having larger guns. I argue that the survival of human species is the first priority, and what kind of people survives is a secondary issue."
"It is, but I'm not asking for the impossible." I said. "None of us are angels, but I want our children to look back and remember us the correct way, copying our good sides and learning from our bad sides."
"Perhaps you are not asking for the impossible, Mr. President, but that's just the way it is. Selecting such people, especially among this population, will be difficult."
"Alright..." I said. "But I'm not giving up. Form a training department still, start selecting the people who will make the journey, have their consent and once that is done, quarantine them. Not only against microorganisms, but also against diseases like greed or revenge. Remember, we only want to send people who will cooperate willingly, and only for the good of people."
"And those who have the adequate survival skills." an engineer added.
"Yes." I said. "Inform me on your progress regularly. I will be going now."
Just when I got out of the office, I encountered Professor Yamamari.
"There you are." he said. "Admiral Mei wishes to speak with you."
"I'm on my way." I said, and went back to my office to receive the call. "Admiral, I'm listening."
"Bad news and... neutral news I guess. One of our warships returned today from the tonnage war, with some damage. They report that they've witnessed another one of our ships get destroyed by the AI war fleets."
"At this rate, our navy will only get weaker and weaker." I said. "If we keep losing ships, we will never be able to launch the assault to take Earth back. We were supposed to be increasing our ship number, not the opposite..."
"As long as the tonnage war continues, our ships will be at risk." said the admiral.
"Yes, but we can't stop now." I said. "We are racing against time, and if it wasn't for this tonnage war, we would lose the race. The AI would complete and send its own colony ship. Then in thousands of years, it would dominate the galaxy... while humanity still struggled here on a stupid tiny planet of a single star system."
"Anyway..." said the admiral. "I didn't contact you to argue about that, I just wanted to pass the news."
"How is your investigation going?" I asked.
"Quite fast." she said. "No one really tries to hide information or save their friends once you assure them that cooperation can save them from punishment. Turns out the black market is formed almost entirely by regular, otherwise harmless citizens with needs and some opportunists, not experienced smugglers or wanted criminals or terrorists or anarchy groups. Of course there are those dangerous people with guns and guts too, but don't worry, we are on it."
"That's... relieving to hear, I think." I said. "What about the cargo?"
"Most citizens agree to give back what they've got from the state reserves, but with their payment returned. That part is going to take decades to figure out. Their record keeping is a bloody mess..."
"Well, it was their fault to make deals with unauthorized organizations." I said.
"I really wish everyone could see it that way." she said. "When you talk to people, they behave like this mess was our fault and we need to be the ones to pay them something in return as an apology... as if we are confiscating THEIR property which they've 'rightfully' acquired."
"Good luck, then." I sighed. "What else can I say?"
"Thank you." she said. "I want a promotion or something if I can pull this off successfully."
"Buzz off, admiral." I chuckled.
"Yes, sir!"
I was just about to close the channel when I heard Mei talking to someone else aboard his ship. I couldn't make out any words, but since Mei didn't close the channel, I waited.
"Uh, Mr. President, are you still there?"
"Yes, I am." I said. "What is it?"
"My comms officer says that we both need to hear something. It looks like a citizen is protesting something."
"Patch me in." I said.
"Mr. President? Ms. Admiral?"
"We can hear you. What seems to be the problem, mister?"