The Empire of Sagittarius. Although it was not the strongest of the Empires that arose from humans on Earth following their contact with the Alien civilisation, it was by far the most economically viable because it was an Empire with a wealthy society that concentrated on trade and business.
The Cygnus Empire, the Orion Empire, the Andromeda Empire, the Sagittarius Empire, and the Cassiopeia Empire are the five primary and also the only empires of the human race, and each of the human empires had its origins on Earth.
These five Empires each had a major merit that distinguished them from one another, and the biggest thing they all had in common was that they were all tier-three civilisations.
In the universe, the state of a race's civilisation served as a measure of that race's overall might.
There were four known civilisation tiers, ranging from tier one to tier four, according to the knowledge that was available to the general population.
Most people were unaware that there were tiers above this one, but those who were aware of the truth of the matter were among the most powerful members of the human race. Ordinary people and weak espers had no need to be aware of any additional information because they were less likely to encounter anything that required them to know more.
Starting from the weakest civilisation, the Planetary Civilisation is a tier 1 civilisation that is in control of a single planet and has mastered its resources, technology, and societal systems. They have achieved a high level of scientific and cultural development but are limited to their planet's resources.
A societal system mentioned here refers to the organisation of a society, including its customs, laws, and structures. It encompasses the social, economic, and political arrangements of a community or a nation, as well as its culture, beliefs, and values.
Before the fateful encounter with the alien civilisation brought them into contact with the greater universe, this was the level Earth was at.
The next civilisation above the Planetary Civilisation is the Interplanetary Civilisation.
The Interplanetary Civilisation is a tier 2 civilisation that has expanded to control multiple planets within a single-star system. They have developed advanced interplanetary transportation and communication technology and are capable of large-scale resource management.
If humanity on Earth had been able to overcome the difficulty of establishing life on Mars prior to the contact with the Alien civilisation, they would have been at the beginning of a tier 2 civilisation.
After all, they had been able to breach a barrier that virtually every tier 1 civilisation in the universe was unable to do on their own.
Of course, the people of that time had also failed to colonise planets other than their own planet, but they had come incredibly near.
The Intergalactic Civilisation is the next civilisation up from the Interplanetary Civilisation, and after a thousand years of intense labour, great sacrifices, and assistance from various alien civilisations at a cost, that is the level at which all human Empires were currently operating.
The Intergalactic Civilisation is a tier 3 civilisation that has expanded beyond its home star system and controls multiple star systems within a single galaxy. They have developed advanced interstellar transportation technology and have access to abundant resources within their galactic neighbourhood.
The general public only knew about this level of civilisation because the alien civilisation that discovered them when they were still nothing more than ants in the universe was at this level. Only when a race civilisation had reached this level could they be regarded as proper kings in the vast universe, but this was not the limit to civilisations as they were still another one above.
The Galactic Empire.
Different from the Intergalactic Civilisation, which could be viewed as the universe's leader, the civilisations recognised as Galactic Empires were unquestionably the tiny emperors of the galaxy.
The Galactic Empire is a tier 4 civilisation that is a dominant force within a single galaxy and has achieved near-total control over its resources and inhabitants. They have developed highly advanced technology, such as faster-than-light travel and communication, and have a large military presence.
They were so powerful and advanced that the warp technology{WD{Warp Drive}, which human empires still considered national treasures, was widely employed in Galactic Empires.
The only thing the Intergalactic Civilisations could use causally in their space technology was Faster Than Light{FTL} travel technology.
Of course, things like high-level knowledge and civilisations like these had nothing to do with Aiden as he prepared to organise his belongings for his relatively short journey to another planet.
The ruins were no place for children to play, so Aiden had to arm himself strongly for the situation in order to protect himself and maximise his chances of surviving whatever he would encounter there.
Naturally, he was unable to arm himself now in the absence of a situation that required it, so what he was doing at the moment was just gathering his tools, weapons, and other items he thought would be necessary for his impending ruin expedition.
With nothing on, save for his leather black trousers and a white shirt slung over his left shoulder, Aiden made his way to the basement where he kept his tools and weapons. On his other shoulder was a big bag that seemed like something only campers would use to store their provisions, and yes, even in the galactic era, camping was still a thing, and it wasn't the only thing that had survived human expansion into the galaxy.
"I'm not sure if the other party will provide his own set of weapons for those he employs, but it's better I bring mine to be well-armed for the occasion," Aiden mumbled as he finally reached the entrance to his basement.
Whether or not Aiden was correct in thinking his contractor was a merchant, he knew from his years as a mercenary that it was typical for contractors to occasionally have their own set of weapons and that this was for various reasons.
For one, contractors may bring their own weapons for the mercenaries they employed to use due to the potential danger and unpredictability of the mission.
The contractor may not fully trust the mercenaries to properly handle their own weapons or may want to ensure that they have backup weapons in case of malfunction or failure. Additionally, the contractors may have customised weapons that are better suited to the specific mission or environment they will be operating in, and they may want to provide these weapons to the mercenaries to increase their chances of success.
In any case, Aiden couldn't rely on something he was unsure of, therefore it was best that he took his own babies along.
As a mercenary, Aiden transformed his basement into a personal weapon arsenal, unlike some other homeowners who just utilised it to store items of little to no importance.
He was the only one with access to the basement and the only one who could grant others entry as well because of the basement's nature.
The entrance to the personal weapon basement was concealed behind a seamless metallic panel, blending seamlessly with the surrounding walls.
However, to even get the entrance of the basement to open, access had to be granted through a sophisticated biometric scanner, requiring a unique combination of DNA, fingerprints, and retinal scans for authentication.
When Aiden arrived at the basement's entrance, the embedded sensors within the seamless metallic panel recognised his presence and activated the authentication procedure, as a metallic part on the wall near Aiden opened and a scanning pad slowly emerged from it.
Aiden places his hand on the designated scanner pad, which captures his fingerprints. Simultaneously, a small aperture within the scanner illuminates his eye, capturing the unique patterns of his retinas.
After getting Aiden's data, the scanner slowly retreated to hand over his data to the security system to verify his identity.
Inside the system, advanced algorithms compare Aiden's provided biometric data with the pre-registered records to authenticate his identity.
One could enter the basement only after passing through all of this, and Aiden was the only one with access to it; only after he had access could he instruct the system to permit others to enter with him.
Alexa, for example, could not enter the basement alone owing to her position as a robot, but then again, what business did she have in a basement full of weaponry in the first place if she wasn't even a battle robot or companion?
After the system confirmed Aiden identity, sections of the metallic panel in front of him started to split apart silently, retracting into concealed compartments within the surrounding walls.
Only when he passed through it did the split sections return back to how it was before.
Once inside, the basement reveals a sprawling chamber illuminated by a soft, ambient glow emanating from recessed lighting embedded in the ceiling.
The room was climate-controlled to maintain optimal conditions for the stored weaponry, with temperature and humidity sensors ensuring the preservation of delicate components.
The walls of the basement were lined with reinforced, soundproof material to contain any potential accidents or explosions and along these walls, weapon racks made of sleek-looking materials displayed an impressive assortment of firearms, energy weapons, and melee weapons, each meticulously arranged and labelled.
A central workstation dominated the centre of the room, featuring a holographic interface that allows the owner, Aiden, to access an extensive catalogue of weapons, equipment specifications, and customization options.
The basement also included specialised storage units for ammunition, energy cells, and power packs. These compartments are designed with enhanced safety features, including fire suppression systems and electromagnetic shielding to prevent accidental detonations or energy leaks.
Ammo crates, neatly stacked and organised, line the walls, each labelled with detailed information about the contained ammunition type. The crates were equipped with smart inventory management systems, automatically tracking and updating the stock levels to ensure that Aiden always knew their arsenal's availability.
To enhance security, surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and an AI-powered intrusion detection system was strategically positioned throughout the basement. These systems monitor the environment, ensuring unauthorised access is immediately detected and countered.
In one corner of the basement, a state-of-the-art firing range is equipped with holographic projection systems. This range allows the owner to test and fine-tune their weapons' performance in a controlled environment, projecting virtual targets or simulations that mimic various combat scenarios.
The entire basement setup was obviously expensive to duplicate, but in reality, anyone wealthy enough could have a setup similar to Aiden's and even better. However, the content in each basement would vary, and the more advanced the basement setup would be, depending on the content's importance.
In the mercenary community, Aiden's weaponry could be regarded as moderate given the number of years he has spent working in the trade.
Aiden made his way into the centre of the basement, slowly carrying his bag to the weapon racks on the wall to begin his selection of weaponry for his expedition.
His first stop was the rack of firearms, where several mechanical range weapons were mounted.
While it might seem odd that this type of range warfare persists to this day, the fact that it did was not abnormal due to the fact that mechanics in general had evolved significantly compared to how they were on Earth more than a thousand years ago.
Weapons in the mechanical form were nonetheless dangerous in and of themselves, even though they were often less lethal than those in the energy form and had some limitations due to the materials employed in their construction.
For instance, Aiden's mechanical armoury made use of the two most prevalent mechanical weapon technologies, MagnoRail and HyperCoil, which contributed to the continued existence of mechanical range weapons in the galactic period.
The former, the MagnoRail technology, also known as Electromagnetic Accelerators{Railguns} is an advanced electromagnetic accelerator that propels bullets using powerful magnetic fields. It can fire projectiles at extraordinary speeds, making it highly effective against armoured targets.
Imagine a gun that uses powerful magnets instead of gunpowder to shoot bullets. Inside the gun, there are two parallel metal rails, and between them is a bullet made of a special metal.
When the gun is fired, a huge electric current flows through the rails, creating a very strong magnetic field. This magnetic field pushes the bullet forward with tremendous force, propelling it out of the gun at incredibly high speeds.
The advantage of this type of gun is that it can shoot bullets much faster than the inferior low-level guns used on Earth before its transformation. The high-speed bullets can pierce through armour or cause significant damage to targets.
The other common technology used for mechanical weapons, the HyperCoil technology is a cutting-edge coilgun that utilises a series of strategically placed electromagnetic coils to accelerate bullets. It provides continuous acceleration to the projectiles, enabling them to achieve incredible velocities and deliver devastating impact.
Imagine another gun that uses a series of powerful magnets to shoot bullets. This time, the gun has several coils (like coils of wire) placed along the barrel. Each coil is like a mini magnet.
When the gun is fired, the coils are activated one after another in a specific order. As the bullet moves through the barrel, each coil generates a magnetic field that pulls the bullet forward, accelerating it.
The sequential activation of the coils gives the bullet a continuous boost of speed until it shoots out of the gun.
Coilguns are also capable of shooting bullets at very high speeds, causing significant damage to targets.
Although neither mechanical weapon technology could really compare to energy weapons in terms of functionality, this drawback might be overridden by the materials utilised to create the gun's ammunition and the weapon itself.
After all, materials throughout the galactic era weren't just minerals from mines; they also included rare, exotic materials from other parts of the cosmos and monsters.
However, Aiden's current concerns were unrelated to what the universe had to offer as he looked through his arsenal of weaponry and deliberated on which to use in his ruin expedition but...…
"I should have asked for extra information"