I woke up. It was the first quarter of my eleventh year since my new life had begun. It was the year 2034 on the Earth of Mass Effect. It was four years since I first laid the foundations of Starhaven.
Things here were… different. To put it mildly. It seemed that the Hosts had decided that they wanted to have practical experience actually implementing the Surviving Mars technologies before distributing them elsewhere, in order to be able to act as sane advisors. As a result, they'd built a series of surface habitation domes over the subsurface regions of Starhaven itself. They'd actually been fairly clever about how they went about doing this, given the sheer number of mechanisms they'd put in place to protect against the environmental issues. Rather than the normal transparent dome material, they'd actually used the same biohull material that had historically been used as the outer layer -- a material whose mildly radiotrophic nature meant that the intense radiation from proximity to Jupiter was actually a food source for the dome hull. Not that it really got a chance to feed from that as opposed to the standard electro trophy anyhow, as there was a low-level atmospheric radiation shield bubble over the area as extracted from the genetic knowledge of Egeria that was operated by a redundant series of emitters -- as long as even one quarter of the emitters was operating the radiation shield would remain in operation. The inclusion of a Class 3 eldritch ward into the radiation shield was just icing on the cake, especially as the ward having been based on the crystalline computing technology of the goa'uld actually meant that it was far cheaper than the previous FTL computing that would have been necessary to sustain it. Strictly speaking it was less computational potent but also radically less expensive and still better than any other computing technology at the League's disposal. There were dozens of Thinktanks dedicated to further study of the crystalline computing technology in general. Knowledge that the goa'uld usage was the absolute bare dreg minimum of what crystal computers could accomplish also drove the study.
The dome city itself was an emulation of the geoscape dome technology, a self-contained habitat containing an emulation of the native ecosystems of Earth. Right down to the insect life needed to keep the various types of flora alive. There was even a functioning hydrocycle, as decadent as that was. If you could have seen through the dome hull -- doubly impossible due to the chromatophoric optical camouflage that rendered it if not quite invisible, then seeming like a natural geological feature, right down to apparent surface pitting and shading -- you would have seen an honest to goodness cloud layer within the dome. Albeit carefully regulated, there were even occasional rain storms.
Most of the buildings within the dome were largely used exclusively for Acting purposes, as they were largely meant solely for use by organic human residents, but that didn't mean that it wasn't bustling in its own way. The research facilities, the laboratories, the medical facilities, the farms, and various recreational facilities were all in use. Those engaged in Acting even received and dispensed credits as would one in a regular lifestyle, their balances when taking on roles predetermined by a great central narrative engine that kept track of the ongoing events. It was the world's largest reality television show, with participants entering and leaving bit parts as they came and went about their livelihoods. The dome was slightly different from the games, however, in that it was designed with great structural supports that permitted its interior to support a large number of "spire" type buildings.
As a result of the dome itself, Starhaven proper now boasted a population of over five million Hosts.
It was daunting, to say the least. The interesting bit was the subtle concessions to the other technology bases in use by the League in general -- a secondary pair of dome structures for example were only a few kilometers away, nestled into former natural craters which had been excavated out to make room for their purpose, with several industrial and power facilities present. It was a bit odd to see, when I toured the workdomes, a full "stellarcore" fusion reactor -- looking for all the world like a miniature star, and surrounded by genuinely massive photovoltaic panels -- side by side with a magnetic containment toroidal fusion facility. That said power systems were supplanted by the terra-root structures that were embedded into the very hull of the domes was a point of amusement.
The conventional factories churning out refined components and materials that were mostly then alchemically reduced back to feedstock to start all over again might have seemed like waste, but it was actually excellent training for the League's alchemists as the experience of breaking down like things was a great way to get deeper insight into the makeup of a complex object without having a sample of one on hand -- as I would know from the training I'd been subjected to during my brief stints of wakefulness between cold sleeps. That it also gave the League Acting experience managing teams of workers in conventional factory conditions also certainly didn't hurt.
The fact that the feedstock for all of this also was largely derived from a set of living crystalline entities that had been ported from a dead Surviving Mars world and whose structures were even now being studied by remotely operated biobots in order to gain deeper insight to the elemental transmutation the crystals performed when provided sufficient power as a method of hopefully extending the capabilities of the League's alchemists was one of those less predictable quirks of letting others do the work for you: I'd never encountered that particular Mystery during my playthroughs so I really didn't expect it when it came up, but was quite welcome when I saw it.
In point of fact, the ready concealment of the dome structures of Starhaven had me contemplating a new direction to take here in the Mass Effect 'verse. That new direction was why I was now sitting in my home, leaning back on my favorite parlor chair, while my mind was cast into another virtualspace construct. Surrounding me at their various stations were The Administrator, The Doctor, The General, The Engineer, and Smiley. As always The Monitor was set above and behind me. The Agent, in a perhaps surprising move to the rest of the Synod, was also openly present.
I had been waiting for all of them to arrive before I spoke, as there was not much point in having to repeat myself over and over. Once they all were present, I stood up -- in the construct -- and began to speak. "I've called you all here for this meeting for a fairly straightforward purpose. Before I go too far into detail on the matter, I would like for The Agent to give me a brief summary on what I've been having him and his people do for the last year or so."
The Agent hesitated, before I nodded at him to reconfirm my request. As he started, his voice had a hint of uncertainty, though that faded as he picked up steam. "By His Worship's orders, I have been orchestrating the unification of all Mass Effect Earths currently sharing dimensions with the Imperial Jovian League with strategic support or sabotage of various disparate governmental bodies, with the eventual purpose of creating a strong and nominally independent 'Earth Alliance', with the aim of having this centralization of Earther government happen in as expedient a timeline as can be accomplished without destabilizing civilisation there nor exposing the existence of the League. The notion as explained by our God-Emperor is to accelerate the timeline in which they discover and effectively utilize the materials and information left behind in the Prothean ruins in order to have as powerful a local civilization as can be possible with the time remaining before the onset of the Reapers, within the constraints of their receiving only technological assistance on the approved lists from the League."
The five other actively participating Hosts took The Agent's words in stride. Eventually, The Administrator broke the silence. "I should have appreciated the warning of the intention to establish another three client states so close to home, Your Worship. Though I suppose the planning difference between now and however long it takes for the Earthers to actually become worthy of the name is still plenty of time."
I waved my hand dismissively. "No, we won't be able to cultivate a 'client state' relationship with the Earthers of the Mass Effect 'verse. In each dimension the Citadel Council affiliated races combined have a population in excess of a trillion individuals. The Earthers will need to seem independent and non-beholden to any other government in order for them to be received by that galactic community appropriately when the time comes. No. We will need to seem a mysterious and reclusive civilization that desires isolation and independence."
The General placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "That will make our establishing dominant relations with the Earthers somewhat difficult, Great Maker. With us occupying their home star system, they will eventually be quite likely to attempt to force us into a 'receptive' relationship due to sheer numbers, as per your existing stance that we should restrict expansion to the Sol system in any universe we occupy, where possible. Eventually -- especially if they are to be useful at all to our purposes -- they will exploit our technological gifts to the purpose of expanding into a significant economic engine with the means to potentially attempt to bury us in raw numbers."
I pointed to The Engineer. "Tell me, Engineer, how goes the introduction of the latest pair of techbases into the Matrioshka Initiative facilities?"
The Engineer smiled. "Well, sire. Very well. The acquisition of actual cloaking technology, in addition, has been a significant boon to the overall initiative. While we have yet to successfully master that technology to the point of use with permanent fixtures on larger bodies, the observation stations themselves and on a rolling basis our corvettes are now able to stand concealed from optical, thermal, radio, and even gravimetric sensor technologies. Only a scanning method that could detect interdimensional phenomena would have a chance at locating the stations, and then only when the stations are operating their Gates without the latest dimensional jamming tech running. Granted, such technology would still detect something in the Jovian system, but no such technology we have yet to model as even hypothetical could actually locate anything operating that stealth system. We are currently working to implement similar stealthing solutions for the more exotic methods of detection we are aware of, such as psychic detection of living minds or souls."
I looked at the General once the Engineer finished speaking. "And those exotic technologies don't even exist in the techbases of the species of this Universe. Let alone in the hands of the Earthers. The Engineer has also left out the weapons systems that are being additionally deployed, I think. Three completely independent models for developing effective plasma weaponry should permit some rather effective solutions based on how well they might combine, I should think."
The General blinked a few times as he clearly tried to think through why I was mentioning plasma weaponry specifically. "Emperor, you have a devious mind at times. I understand. Give them a display of a weapon they can possibly defend against but with great difficulty and they remain less likely to aggress until they have improved their technology, whereupon you demonstrate a superior form of the weapon. Repeat this enough and they believe any advances they make will simply be countered. Display instead a weapon against which their defences can never be effective and they will instead develop new defenses, which might actually resist you."
I closed my eyes in a briefly pleased manner at the praise. "Well, that and it raises the range of weapons types in our technical arsenal by yet another entire category. And we will have more than a century before the Earthers of any of the three dimensions get aspirations of that character. How much more accomplished will the League be by that point, I wonder?"
The General leaned back in his chair. "It is as you say, my Lord."
I nodded to acknowledge his surrender of his concerns. "Now. All this was pleasant but it wasn't really the true focus of the conversation I was hoping to have. For you see, I've called you all here today to discuss an acceleration of the timetable of the uplifting of the Earthers of the Mass Effect dimensions we inhabit. A further acceleration, to hopefully inspire them even beyond the steps already taken." I looked my advisors in the eyes to ensure they heard the weight of what I was saying. "What I want from you lot is to start establishing a city on Mars. A city that will be built using the technologies we just acquired to for export purposes. Until we develop the terrestrial cloaking technology to conceal any surface construction, as this city will not be built using our full technical base, but instead will eventually be abandoned in time to permit the Earthers to discover and reclaim it themselves, all development will be subsurface but to the architectural standards for standard human comfort. This city will be permitted to have sections used for more advanced technologies only if those sections can be destroyed reliably in a manner that purges all evidence of those technologies; nothing may be permitted to remain after evacuation."
I struck my hand out with a sideways motion. "Nothing not designed to go into their hands may remain. However, up until the city is abandoned, it will have one primary purpose which will eventually draw the Earthers to it, concealed or not. It will be used to begin the terraforming of the planet. I expect this process will take decades, and will be discovered long before it is completed, but it is my intent that the necessary infrastructure for the Earthers to inhabit the city and complete the process will be left behind for them, albeit with all computers wiped of any information not absolutely necessary to the operation and maintenance of the machinery there."
The Doctor smirked. "One great mystery for them to solve, while proving that they are not alone in the dark, and thus prompting them to search for other proof and thus discover the Prothean ruins. You, Great Maker, have a flair for the dramatic. I am rather quite certain this will blow up in our faces in the most delightfully disastrous manner and I cannot wait to see for myself what sort of sociopsychological discoveries are made from observing these circumstances on multiple Earths simultaneously."
Damnit, woman, it's supposed to be Vahlen who's the creepy middle aged blond Germanic scientist. You were supposed to be the good one! Ugh. I cleared my throat. "Yes, well. Be that as it may, it means that for the foreseeable future the League is going to be expending much of its industrial surplus on the construction of habitation and infrastructure not ultimately meant for our own consumption. Administrator -- understand that when I say surplus that to an extent that's exactly what I mean. There will be a core amount of mandatory growth for each of the four alternate Marses we will be constructing on, with the Free Earth Republic's being the most open and thus most focused upon, but I expect noticeable terraforming results on that world within one year, and within five years in the Mass Effect dimensions. Is that going to be a problem?"
The Administrator gave a rueful smirk. "I'll have to adjust many of my mid-term projections, and we'll need to cut back somewhat on overall military spending, but it can absolutely be done."
I looked at the General after that. "Is there fat to be trimmed from the Militarum?"
The General shook his head in denial. "Not a problem, assuming we will have no further major overhauls of our existing military infrastructure for the period in question."
I looked to the Doctor and chuckled. "Looks like you're going to be stuck working with just the toys I've already given you for the foreseeable future then, Doctor. I'm sure that won't be a crippling burden?"
The Doctor smiled widely. "Oh, not at all. In all sincerity we have enough material already in our hands to justify several decades of additional research. And it would be a genuine pleasure to start to get to identify civilian applications of many of the technologies we now have at our disposal. Let alone deepening our mastery of integrating everything together. No, the Thinktanks will by no means be left idle, Great Maker. No means at all."
I couldn't help but worry a little about that idea. It was a good thing, right?