Looking at the shapes on the hologram, Adam was resisting the urge to pull more of his hair and shout in agony. It has been three days since he started studying the runes day and night, delegating most of his duties to his officers, while keeping an open channel with his subordinates to keep an eye on things.
The day before, a huge influx of survivors came by, and news of Gobzkin pushing humans off a major survivor camp inside the city of Brighthaven, with this being those who arrived first. By rough estimates and survival probabilities, the population may hit 2,000 by next week.
There was no longer room for caution as Adam ordered the construction of another Fossil Furnace and halted work on the settlement in favor of finishing the Base Bastion as soon as possible.
There was another type of generator to build, the Tier 2 Plasma Generator, but that one was statistically the worst type of power generator in the RTS game, and players would mostly use them for strategic blockades by destroying them to trigger a meltdown, which still makes it the most dangerous one to build in reality, despite the power. However, if push came to shove, Adam would construct a fourth base at a secluded location and make it only for Plasma power generation, away from where people live.
The Lunar engineers gave Adam 48 hours to finish the Base Bastion if all resources were allocated solely to the project. Adam approved it, even though it would cause a situation in the settlement, given that the cubicle clusters could barely house 1,000 refugees. Still, he needed the technologies that would be unlocked with the Tier 2 Command Center.
The next day, as all four construction Crawlers moved to the Base Bastion, Senator Ned Carter came running all the way up to change Adam's mind, as the latter received him in his residence.
"I'm afraid my hands are tied, Senator." Adam gave a firm reply despite his haggard state.
He was not in his military attire, now dressed in loose, rough fabrics similar to those Captain Creed wears, with dark circles under his eyes.
"Son, you know as much as I do that we wouldn't be able to accommodate more…"
"I know, Senator. I know everything, and I keep an eye on everyone." Adam replied with an exasperated hint in his voice, before massaging his tired eyes, "There are plenty of places here in the Camp. Our barracks can take up to 600 recruits without crowding."
"So you are taking in people here?" The Senator asked.
"No." Adam replied with a snort, "I'm taking recruits."
There was only silence in the room as Adam's reply was rather clear, a blunt demand on his part.
"This will be difficult." The Senator said, his expression darkening, "The people need stability to build up. I know monsters are at the doors, but there could be better coordination between the Wartopians and us."
"There is no 'us and them,' Senator." Adam looked away as he returned to polishing and drilling the small bone pieces he was working on with his mini-drill, "We are all in this mess together. As far as we're all concerned, nobody is coming to rescue or claim this part of the world just yet. I wouldn't be as arrogant as claiming that we may be the last human power on Earth, since the monsters have taken all the world's military by surprise, which makes what I am saying more serious than you even realize."
"There is no 'us and them,' is that it?" The Senator asked, clearly displeased.
"Just like there is no 'I' in 'team'." Adam said, and without lifting his eyes from his work, "Wartopians or Earthlings, we have to live together and somehow make it work."
The look in the Senator's eyes seemed passive, as he gave a casual smile to what Adam said, but now that Adam was taking a headstrong stance against the Senator, he could detect the faint feeling of the Senator being bothered by it.
"Well, I'm speaking with you, dear Senator, only because I would like to think that I can rely on you. You are a politician; you know the soft approach to others, that's why I left the recruitment to you." Adam said, trying to beat around the bush just as the Senator did.
"This is what it's all about, huh?" The Senator seemed offended all of a sudden, "I know you think it is taking a snail's pace, but I can't just tell people to go die. I've had the young ones tell me about Wartopia and how soldiers are just expected to die in mere minutes. At least give the people something to live for before asking them to die…"
As the Senator was about to go on, Adam raised his hand to stop him from talking further.
"Alright, Senator. You can consider this strike one." Adam said as he rose from his chair, "You understand very well that you are dealing with a foreign military that doesn't joke around when it comes to taking care of its own interests. We've made it clear in the first Tithe meeting that we would arrange the priorities for military essentials and reserves, but it seems you understood that as long as you limit our numbers, you can limit the Tithe."
"That's not…" The Senator wanted to interject, but Adam's tone went up a notch.
"I'm not done talking." He said, hitting the table with his fist, causing the items lying around to rebound and scatter, "I can enact Forced Conscription as a Tithe, and that's what the Senior Officers, both Earthlings and Wartopians, are advising me to take. But since the decision is in my hands, I can delay it for a week."
The Senator kept staring at Adam, clearly unamused by the fact that he was shouted at by a young man, not even half his age, but also struggling with what little authority he had in this situation. On the other hand, Adam took a moment to calm down, or at least pretend to, since he wasn't even angry to begin with.
"Senator…" He said and weighed his words, "You will be assigned as a civilian officer and will be given official duties, missions, and coordination programs based on the needs of this operation."
"You're putting a leash on me, Justiciar?" The Senator asked as his hands trembled.
"Not yet." Adam replied, "But I can put you aside and give the job to another. Everything will be restructured, and my Barracks will be filled with recruits anyway. I'm only choosing to deal with the devil I know."
It took a minute for the pair to calm down, and Adam sat down again. He also toned down the heat, recognizing the Senator as his senior, and offered him a seat opposite him. It was then that the Senator spoke:
"I understand that being a Justiciar gives you full authority to dictate anything in the Solarium. You are basically given free rein to act and dictate." The Senator said.
"It is a position most sensitive." Adam replied while organizing his tools, "Unlike all departments, being Justiciar has no ranks other than years of seniority and achievement medals. A Justiciar with enough justification can walk up to anyone and put a hole in their head with no repercussions whatsoever, no matter the other party's rank."
"And the Wartopians just gave you that kind of power?" The Senator asked.
"There are secrets that I have the right to keep as my own, and just to spoil some, a great deal of luck was involved, but you can also think of it as Fate." Adam said and relaxed a bit just as he started touching his small tools again, "Fate brought us together after all, and you know I want you as an ally, but you just sabotaged me, and I'm feeling conflicted about it."
"So what would you have me do?" The Senator asked.
"Get in line." Adam replied as his eyes turned from his work to the Senator, "I want order and obedience, and I once thought that you wanted the same."
"I do." The Senator replied, "But I thought things would be different."
"How so?"
"Don't get me wrong, your work and the efforts shown by the soldiers have been nothing but a blessing, but I…"
"Trust issues?"
"Not that." The Senator shook his head before exhaling, "My youngest daughter was a fierce child, a force of nature in her own right; she burned brighter than anyone I knew…"
He then sat silent for a while, before continuing: "… until all that faded one day."
Adam politely put his tools down and faced the man from behind his desk, waiting for him to continue.
"I can see you burn with that fire, son. You're burning just as bright, and your fire is keeping the winter from killing us all, and keeping the soldiers fighting, and the town growing. But when people like you fade away, the world just…" The old Senator paused for a while, a shiver running on his wrinkly hand, "It doesn't get to be the same."
Adam listened and didn't reply, giving the man more time to get out what was on his chest.
"In good faith, I couldn't give more fuel to your fire; I had to look for an alternative because I know that people can't burn forever." The Senator then pointed at Adam, "I mean, look at yourself, when was the last time you slept? What is this you keep tinkering with? And why do you keep accepting refugees when you could turn them away?"
Adam smiled momentarily, but then the next words he heard were the real shock:
"If you fade away, your soldiers will too. Isn't that right, Commander?"
Adam could only maintain a poker face while making eye contact with the old man, before inhaling and exhaling casually and examining the piece he was working on, just looking into its details.
"So you decided to secure enough power in order to keep me from fading, somehow?" Adam asked, not denying, not confirming, but it was enough for Megan to come down, her Blazer aimed at the old man.
There was no hiding this secret, not with a man with such conviction.
The Senator only spared Megan a single glance, no nervousness in his demeanor, but the look in his eyes remained deep and strong.
"There is little I can do, anyway. But I know that keeping what you built without you won't be an easy effort." He said.
"Why?" Adam asked.
"Because every step ahead you take is a gamble, son. The higher you build, the harder you fall, and it is not going to be your fall alone." The Senator explained.
Adam turned to Megan, who was in a t-shirt and shorts, before shaking his head towards her, a tell to keep her weapon away. He then turned to the Senator and spoke:
"I agree with you, sir. But this isn't an issue I can address anytime soon." Adam said and made a casual smile, "What I can say is that the Commander's orders aren't up for debate; recruits and tithe for resources and protection, that's the standard pact we can uphold as the Solarium representatives on Earth with you."
Without giving any confirmation or denial, and even with the fact that the Senator knew his secret, Adam chose to stonewall it. He stood up in an official manner and spoke:
"Will you accept your duties as an Officer of the Ordinarium? Commit to the people, to the cause of the Solarium, to uplift and take humanity beyond the stars?"
With a sigh, the Senator stood up and faced Adam:
"If you think that is best, I'll try to put what's left of me into that." The Senator replied.
"Then, with the power vested in me, I assign you as Bailiff, and give you the right to hire five subordinates as Clerks and Scribes. Usually, the rank of Bailiff is assigned to the Clerks who have proven themselves through the Meritocratic Ladder of the Executiva Ordinarium, but I believe you have amassed enough merit for that."
"Fine, Justiciar. I accept your assignment." The Senator, now Bailiff, nodded once.
"All duties will be rallied to you through the Terminal in the Guild building, and you will get your desk of office over there. You will have oversight of infrastructure, reserves, and services; thus, you can issue jobs, file requisitions, and oversee the needs of the community in your jurisdiction, which is limited to the Civilian Base 1 under the division of Springhead." Adam's official recitation came to an end, but he explained more, "The office of Bailiff is equivalent to the office of Sergeant in the Legio Bellarium or the office of Sheriff in the Monitora Ordinarium. This means you will operate on equal grounds to Sheriff Vigil of the Lawmen. Your office as Bailiff answers to the Mayor of Springhead, but as the title isn't in effect just yet, you answer to the Commander or his Deputy. Are there any questions?"
"Not at the moment." Ned Carter answered.
"Then I will expect a recruitment campaign report by tomorrow. Have a scribe deliver it, please." Adam said and offered a handshake to the old man, who accepted it, "And congratulations on your office."
Ned Carter left afterward, with Adam completely in control of the civilian base, or at least hoping he was. What was left was to put enough workload on the Senator to overwhelm any thoughts of autonomy.
Megan joined Adam afterward, concerned for him after what the old man said, as he was indeed pushing himself to his hardest for the past few days in order to figure out the secrets of runes and use them to activate the Holy Furnace.
Seeing what he was tinkering with, the fragments of the bone blade given to him by Ajax Wills, she saw that he had broken more parts of the bone and drilled many holes in them, before using a shiny metal wire to bring them all together, starting from a shape based on a complex design that was cast by hologram.
She asked him many times about what he was doing, but his reply didn't come until he was almost finished.
Once she noticed the thing he was working on, her breathing hitched, and she gave him a serious look, unable to fully comprehend what this madman was brewing until he started painting and putting it together.
What Adam had in his hand was a miniature, one that he had created from the bones of the blade with the Force Rune, all held together by adhesive and special silver wire.
It was Adam's first time to work with actual bone as material for miniatures instead of plastic or resin, which was rather unheard of in most hobby circles, though many chess pieces were carved from prized bone, such as ivory. [A/n: looked it up, happy to be proven wrong.]
When finished and painted, a feat such as this—with the secret it contained—earned Adam a significant acknowledgment from the system.
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