Chapter 354 — A Necessary Trade
Several weeks passed.
The situation on Varrak continued to improve.
More workers arrived from the surrounding systems, filling positions in factories, construction crews, agricultural sectors, transportation networks, and medical facilities. New manufactorums were brought back online, while damaged facilities were repaired faster than originally projected.
Construction crews were no longer struggling to find materials.
Machinery was arriving regularly.
Agricultural equipment was being distributed to the damaged regions.
The recovery was accelerating.
Inside the command center, the latest projections were displayed across the tactical screens.
Metaurus studied the figures before looking toward Gaius.
"The reconstruction is progressing ahead of schedule."
Gaius looked over the reports.
"Good."
Titus's expedition had already begun producing results. The Oath of Rectitude had returned from several systems carrying new machinery, construction materials, fuel, and additional workers before departing again.
Every successful trip brought Varrak closer to full recovery.
But another report appeared on the main display.
A logistics officer stepped forward.
"There is another matter, Praetor."
Gaius turned toward him.
"Speak."
The officer brought up another series of figures.
"Food reserves are declining."
Metaurus looked toward the display.
"How much?"
"Not critically."
The officer changed the projection.
"But the decline is noticeable."
Metaurus frowned.
"The agricultural sectors are improving."
"They are."
The officer brought up another chart.
"Local production has increased over the last several days."
Gaius studied the numbers.
"Then what is causing the decline?"
The officer hesitated before answering.
"The Oath of Rectitude."
Gaius looked at him.
Metaurus's expression changed as he understood.
"The vessel is spending too much time away from Varrak."
The officer nodded.
"Every time Lieutenant Titus enters another system, the Sea King harvesting and processing operations are reduced or stopped. The cloning cycles are also interrupted, and distribution schedules have to be adjusted."
Tony, who had been standing near one of the displays, looked toward the projection.
"How often is he leaving?"
"Almost immediately after unloading."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"So the ship barely has time to produce before it has to leave again."
"Correct."
Gaius remained silent.
The logistics officer continued.
"The problem is not that the production facilities are failing. The problem is that the vessel is no longer in orbit long enough to maintain its previous output."
Metaurus looked at the reports.
"The vessel is performing two critical functions."
He glanced toward Gaius.
"Food production and resource transport."
Gaius nodded.
"And it cannot fully perform both."
"Correct."
Tony folded his arms.
"Well, there's your problem."
Everyone looked toward him.
Tony pointed toward the display.
"You people have a battleship pretending to be a factory."
Metaurus looked at him.
"It is not pretending."
Tony gave him a look.
"That's not the point."
He walked closer to the display and examined the production figures.
"The ship is producing food, transporting workers, carrying machinery, hauling fuel, moving construction materials, and apparently acting as a diplomatic transport whenever Titus needs to visit another world."
He looked toward Gaius.
"That's a lot of jobs for one ship."
Gaius nodded.
"Agreed."
Tony looked back at the display.
"The food production itself isn't the problem."
He pointed toward the Sea King production figures.
"The problem is that all of it is tied to the ship."
A Techmarine standing nearby spoke.
"The vessel was designed to support extended campaigns. Its biological production systems were intended to provide nourishment for large numbers of personnel over prolonged deployments."
Tony nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked at the production projections.
"But Varrak isn't a military expedition anymore."
He gestured toward the command center.
"It's a growing population."
The Techmarine understood where Tony was going.
"The vessel was never intended to serve as the primary food source for an entire world."
"Right."
Tony looked at Gaius.
"Why is so much of the production concentrated on one ship?"
The Techmarine paused.
"They are not all on the ship."
Tony looked at him.
"They aren't?"
"The vessel contains the largest concentration of the production systems currently operating in this region."
Tony nodded slowly.
"That's better."
He looked back toward the display.
"But it's still the bottleneck."
Gaius turned toward the Techmarine.
"What would be required to establish permanent production facilities on Varrak?"
The Techmarine considered the question.
"It would be a substantial undertaking."
"Explain."
"We would require dedicated production chambers, containment systems, processing facilities, power generation, nutrient supplies, storage facilities, and distribution infrastructure."
Another Techmarine added,
"The facilities would also require maintenance crews and additional technical personnel."
Tony nodded.
"So basically, a factory."
The Techmarine looked at him.
"A collection of interconnected production facilities."
Tony smiled.
"Even better."
The Techmarine continued.
"Construction would take months, depending on the scale."
Tony looked around the command center.
"Good thing we've got an entire planet rebuilding."
Diana, who had been listening from nearby, gave him a look.
"You sound pleased."
"I am."
Tony pointed toward the display.
"This is an engineering problem. Those are my favorite kind."
Gaius looked toward the production projections.
The Oath of Rectitude was valuable.
It was providing food, but it was also carrying the resources Varrak needed to recover. Titus was currently moving between multiple systems, gathering materials and workers that would otherwise take much longer to acquire.
Recalling the vessel permanently would slow the recovery.
Keeping it away from Varrak would continue reducing food production.
Neither solution was ideal.
Gaius looked toward the Techmarines.
"Can the production systems of the Oath of Rectitude be replicated?"
The Techmarine considered the question.
"The technology can be adapted."
"How long?"
"For a facility capable of supporting the current population?"
The Techmarine glanced toward the projections.
"Several months."
Tony interrupted.
"Start smaller."
The Techmarine looked toward him.
Tony pointed toward the population figures.
"Build enough to cover the current shortage first. Expand it afterward."
The Techmarine considered the suggestion.
"That would reduce the initial construction requirements."
"And let the ship keep doing what it's doing."
Gaius nodded.
"Proceed with the planning."
Tony pulled a tablet from his side and began making notes.
"I can build it."
The Techmarine looked toward him.
"You?"
Tony glanced up.
"Yes. Give me a few Techmarines to work with."
He pointed toward the production figures.
"I don't need you to build the whole thing for me. I need the people who actually understand those production systems."
The Techmarine studied him.
"The biological production systems are not simple."
"That's why I want you."
Tony tapped the tablet again.
"You know the vats, the processing systems, the containment requirements, and how the whole thing is supposed to operate."
He looked toward the Techmarine.
"I can handle the infrastructure around it."
The Techmarine considered his words.
"And the power requirements?"
Tony smiled.
"That part's easy."
He looked toward Gaius.
"I'll handle the power myself. Arc reactors, power distribution, whatever else I need."
Gaius nodded.
He trusted Tony enough to handle it. Tony was intelligent enough to understand the requirements and capable enough to build what was needed.
"Then do it."
Tony looked back at the Techmarine.
"So?"
The Techmarine gave a slight nod.
"You will have the assistance you require."
"Good."
Tony returned to his tablet.
"Then let's build some vats."
Diana looked toward him.
"You sound far too happy about this."
Tony grinned.
"I'm getting a team of Techmarines, permission to build a massive food-production facility, and a chance to help Gaius."
He looked at the plans.
"What's not to like?"
Diana nodded at Tony's words before looking toward Gaius.
"You've decided not to recall Titus?"
"No."
Gaius looked toward the display showing the Oath of Rectitude's current trajectory.
"The resources he is gathering will accelerate Varrak's recovery."
He paused.
"Stopping him now would create a greater delay."
Diana nodded.
"So we solve the food problem here."
"Yes."
Tony looked up from his tablet.
"And once we do, the Oath doesn't have to choose between feeding Varrak and traveling."
Gaius nodded.
"It will continue both."
The command center remained busy as Tony and the Techmarines began outlining the first stages of construction.
A new production facility would need land.
Power.
Water.
Processing systems.
Storage.
Transport routes.
And workers.
But unlike the recovery efforts from the previous weeks, this was not a problem caused by a lack of resources.
The resources were already beginning to arrive.
They simply needed to be turned into permanent infrastructure.
Several hours later, another transmission arrived.
A communications officer approached Gaius.
"Praetor."
Gaius turned.
"A report from Lieutenant Titus."
"Display it."
The officer activated the main screen.
Titus appeared.
"We have completed another agreement."
Behind him, the interior of the Oath of Rectitude could be seen, with cargo containers being moved through one of the loading areas.
"The world has agreed to provide additional industrial machinery, construction equipment, and fuel."
Gaius nodded.
"Good."
Titus continued.
"They have also approved additional population transfers."
Metaurus looked toward Gaius.
"How many?"
"Several thousand."
Tony slowly looked from Titus's transmission toward the food projection.
Then toward the technical plans the Techmarines had begun preparing.
He grinned.
"Guess we'd better build those vats fast."
Tony returned his attention to the plans.
"Because Titus isn't making this population problem any smaller."
Diana smiled faintly.
"He's helping rebuild Varrak."
Tony nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked toward the screen for a moment before turning toward Gaius.
"I think we should have the UNSC transfer some of their communication technology here."
Gaius looked at him.
Tony gestured toward the display.
"Titus can talk to us right now because he's still operating relatively close to the system. But once he starts traveling farther, we're going to have to rely on the Astropaths again."
Gaius nodded.
He had already experienced the difference.
The UNSC communication systems were far more convenient for maintaining direct contact across long distances, while Imperial communication often depended on Astropaths when conventional methods could no longer reach.
"Agreed."
Tony looked pleased.
"Good. Because after using their communications, going back to waiting on psychic messages feels like a downgrade."
Gaius said nothing.
He could not disagree.
~~~
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