After the initial shock from the waters eruptions i called out the team of techs and told them to design a water pump facility and link it to the bases pipes system and then send a pipe deep into the lake.

With our water problem solved the biologists and botanists didn't have to worry about going all out with farming and quickly began increasing the size of the greenhouses. They took down the 4 greenhouses we had and in the now open area they had they made a greenhouse with walls at 9 meter high and a 300 m2 circular area in the space.

The roof was a transparent and hard plastic that would hold heat in, it was in a dome shape that attached to the top of the walls, the total high at the center was around 20 m. The scientists built an air conditioning system so it didn't get too hot, thankfully there was more then enough water to use for cooling now.

The new greenhouse, around the size of a small warehouse, took about a week to make because of the dome roof since we don't have much of the stuff down here but this is a temporary solution to the problem of food and a calming area to relax with vegetation. What we really need was an area covered with a dome shield that would be converted into a kind of park though leaning more towards forest.

Now to reach that point i head over to the terraformers which were with all the scientists and behind them a group of techs. I could hear him talking with them about preparing a large amount of plants of all kinds and an estimated time of around 2 months would be enough to set up the shield.

I walk over the the techs group.

Noah: so whats he planning?

Tech leader: we have done extensive scanning of the dome shields entire structure quite a few times and have learned from the workers of their ship a bit more about the shields. at the moment he asked us to join him because he said we needed to design something for him.

Noah: he didn't say what?

Tech Leader: no sir.

I nod and wait for him. He talks for another few minutes before dismissing the scientists and comes over.

Conon: ah Captain Noah, you're here as well. i was just about to ask them to help me and i heard you have some expertise in ship and drone construction.

Noah: yes i helped design the new types of drones we have before and after we gained the Ion pulse engine.

Conon: fantastic i need your help in making a new drone.

Noah: exactly what kind?

Conon: follow me everyone.

He leads us into his lab and inside is one of the broken drill tanks.

Conon: i want this thing converted into a drilling drone controllable from the base like you do with your drones. Its important that we begin digging out the tunnels at Site Alpha to accommodate the new dome Shield that is being made.

Noah: i heard you say something about 2 months right to the science team?

Conon: that was a request to grow plants and trees from a few planets we normally specialize in when we terraform. 2 months is the minimum since we don't know how long it will take to set up the dome shield and secure the area and begin planting the area and producing food.

Noah: are they just random plants?

Conon: there are a few plants people normally call weeds but those plants are food and homes for bugs on their planets the rest are fruit trees and ones use for wood and such.

Noah: i see...well shall we get to work guys.

We already had the blueprints to the tanks so we used the display of Connons lab to pull that one up alongside the current model of the shield drone, which was the largest drone we have.

The other drones didn't take so long to make because they were much simpler having only thrusters, the engine and what was their main function. This one was different, we needed to take a drill tank and convert a 1 ton hunk of metal into a flying drone capable of manual control like normal drones. First thing it needed was a strong engine. Since all ion engines were unique because of their size we needed to make a new one for this. Then came the structure itself. The drone is about a third the original tanks size because there is no need for a drone to have a seat inside it or a life support system. It did, on the other hand, need an cooling system for the drill bit as well as it needed to have spare drills for when one breaks. This kept the size form getting smaller because there was need to make space for them.

In the end the structure was made oval shaped like the fighter, laying horizontal, it continued to have tank tracks but it moved mostly with the engine. The drill came from the front only, none below it.

Besides this one we made two another drone which was like a floating dump truck with a claw crane that would be used to remove rocks that the drill drone cut out and dump it outside where it will be transported somewhere and dumped. Mineral poor rock like those don't have much use for us or the golems, they are in fertile land so the quantity is varies so there is no one type of mineral that dominates the region.

To plan out and make the blueprints it took a week and a half to have both done because they would be large drones unlike the small ones we have been making. The drill drone was twice times the size of the shield drone which was about 180cm tall so it towered over us even after we decreased its size by a lot. The other drone was made at the same size because it would need to fit the hole the drill would make.

To make one of these drones takes about an 3 hour. Just so you know a scanner drone takes about 20 minutes to make the structure and another 20 to add the engine, scanner and systems they need and another 10 minutes for the planting. So it was a pain so we split up in groups of 7 to make 5 of the drills and then for the dump truck drone it takes about 4 and a half hours because we needed to make the crane on the box as well as attach the backs since it wasn't a single part drone. It had the front part like a truck which held the engine then behind that was the crane followed by a single box in the back which has a hatch underneath that would let out the rocks and dirt.

another thing that was a pain in the ass to make was the drill. A normal drill tank has a drill the size of the tank itself so it doesn't dig a hole too small for it. But for a drone it would cause too much much aerodynamic problems as well as throwing the center of gravity of the drone towards the front. So our solution was a bit strange.

The drill was made so it can store itself inside the drone when not in use. The way this is done is that the main tip that makes first contact with the rock is attached directly to a metal shaft that normally holds the hole drill. The rest of the body is stored in pieces inside and when needed the front of the drone opens up and releases and builds the parts into the drill. this also helps with repairing the drill because there are more parts you can break one area but not need to replace the who drill. This helped a lot now since it would keep a balanced center of gravity.

Unfortunately because of so much mass, these drones are slower than the others. Even with the ion engine they both can go at best at ⅔ the speed of the shield drone but we knew it would be like that considering the size of the thing.

anyway we continued working for 2 whole days on these and ended up 15 drills and 10 dump drones. Conon said this was more then enough but we could continue to make more to replace the larger tanks in the mines.

The next endeavor was making the controls. We converted three entire warehouses into a control center for all the drones. Using the ships was starting to become a hassle so having proper controls would be better. It also made for a great place to train personnel how to pilot a ship since we make all the controls the same as the ships we have. Its also safer and cheaper since we can build some small drones to train them with to get used to the control then put them in a ship later on.

The thought of making remote controlled fighters did cross my mind while making this it would make the only casualty be the time wasted making the ships.

When we finished the warehouses looked like a room full of capsules like the one that are used to get in game though still different.

The controls were made just like the pilots seat of a fighter. The windows we changed with screens that would project what was coming from the cameras on the drones they piloted. besides that change everything was the same except the base which was made the how thing look like an F1 race car with no wheels.

In total there were over 100 in all three control centers which would be used to control the drones from here. Up till now we don't know the exact range that we can manually control the drones but it is far since we can reach Site Alpha easily and continue on.

At the end of all this construction of drones and their controls the result showed in my skills

You have learned a new skill

Equipment Research

You have studied and learn from trial and error the ins and outs of equipment used for work and daily use.

Research speed for equipment is increased by 5%

Equipment Construction

By studying about a large number of equipment of different functions you have learnt to build them quicker.

Increase in speed when creating a piece of equipment by 5%

Ship Construction has leveled up to intermediate 1

Ship Planner has leveled up to basic 8

Weapon Research has leveled up to basic 7

Weapon Planning has leveled up to basic 5

With all the controls done, i put a mining crew as well as some protectors to take the drones to the site and begin digging out the tunnels. im sure that place will become like a dungeon in a fantasy game if left unchecked so we need to set up watch as we dig so we don't get overrun.

With that set we begin the next two very important projects that are one of the most critical. Building the Dome Shield generator as well as an power generator that can handle the power draw of the shield as well as many important equipment in the soon to be built agriculture dome.

there was a lot of trouble thinking of a model because we don't have any more power cores capable of powering the generators. The team was at a bottleneck for a while. we dismissed them to think on their own accord. i headed outside in the chilly air of the dome. Even inside the dome the temperatures get only as high as 25 oC with no wind since the atmosphere outside doesn't have enough to cause any wind. I was at the edge of the shield watching the construction of the water pump facility that was being made.

Currently the builders were extending the pipes from the base into the area where the water will be held and a return pipe that will be sent to a treatment center that was also being built next to it. As i watch the question of how they would keep the water from freezing came to mind but after i asked i was told that the pipes going into the lake would have a few layer of insulation to delay the freezing from happening and also it would be placed underground for further protection.

As i thought of what i had learned it suddenly struck me being punched in the gut. Why not use the water to power the new base. We could make a few water turbines like that in dams used for blocking water and then the water used to power the base would go into the plantations and such. Also releasing a bit on the outer edges of the base would keep the golems away due to the watery dirt. It was a well thought out plan so i headed back to the lab were a few people were talking looking over the plans of the generator we have powering our base here. The discussion was what to do for power, of course. i listened from the door as Mr. Kinter, Conon, Ernest, Adam, Morgan, James and Jonas talked about different stuff that could make a strong generator. Ideas like nuclear power, making an ion generator, and wind power (lol) were all suggested but the most obvious was never called so after they slumped down i walked up.

Noah: hey no ideas?

James: Nope…none at all...that work on this planet at least.

Noah: how about water power?

Everyone: …

They just looked at me then at each other. it looked like they were about to facepalm themselves for not thinking of the obvious solution especially since Site Alpha was being made because of the water there.

Adam quickly typed something up and an image of a huge room with 3 huge turbines appeared. The room was completely metal around 2000 m2 with 3 turbines placed in the room. Those were one of the most complicated looking turbines of seen. I've seen pictures of the turbines in Brazil those require 1 huge room for each almost and once they had to repair a small cracked piece in them took a year to dismantle and rebuilding the turbine just because of that piece. these were about half the size of one of those but looked a lot more advanced so it might make up the difference thanks to the advanced technology.

Noah: how far is the water from the surface?

Conner goes to his console for a bit and returns after a few seconds.

Conner: around 600-800 meters.

Noah: if we build the room displayed here about...100 meters above the river it should work out well the rest of the space above and to the sides can be used to expand and make things like water tanks for breeding freshwater animals the same for seawater.

Conner: can these turbines handle the power needs for the entire base?

Adam: these rank at around… 20th place on the scale for utility but the power it generates is enough for a small base to power all their needs and still have spare energy. Just so you know the generator we have here the model currently ranks at 23 and can also hand our needs but it has a higher chance for breakdowns or something so its a good thing to make this.

Ernest: how long does it take to make this thing?

Adam: ...i dont know...the parts need to be made or imported

Conner: …

Noah: ...how common is this used and are there schematics for it?

Adam begins punching the keys in front of him and the image in front of us vanishes and shows the entire construction of the turbine from inside and out. It was clear to see that it would take years to properly make this. we all frowned seeing how the thing was made.

Conner: its probably faster to heat the planet then build that thing.

Noah: how exactly are you planning to heat the planet?

Conner: well using your drones i was planning to scan the planet and figure out the makeup of the planets tectonic plates and find if there are any dormant or possibly active volcanoes and set them off.

“...”

Noah: volcanos?

Conner: yep, its a common technique terraformers use to heat a planet up and make a primitive atmosphere. Once water fills the planet we release a few variety of algae which begin photosynthesis and makes oxygen. after a bet of time has passed we being to introduce plankton throughout the worlds seas. with them in the water they can survive by eating each other or the alge.

noah: won't they start growing?

Conner: yep, when terraformed for a large faction they usually give us a time period to make the planet habitable to a certain degree but this planet isn't warranted that need so we can do a slower process and have the plankton grow and make new native inhabitants for this planet.

James: how long exactly is this slow process.

Conner: around 20 or so years. Its fast like that because before releasing the plankton we breed them in large tanks and during this time we dump a special chemical inside the tank which promotes mutations in the DNA and speeds up the evolutionary process. This chemical lasts for around 10 generations on the planktons life which is around 1 year so every year we need to go with a unique ship that is built with a large tank to locations were plankton reside and suck them into the ships inside we put the chemical and leave them for some time and finally release them again. Within 5 years crustaceans and a few fish should begin appearing at that point we will do the same with those creatures until we get to land creatures.

Noah: isn't that playing god?

Conner: that discussion has been talked about hundreds of years ago. Yes and No, yes because we shape the planet in god's place but no because the chemical randomly mutates the creatures we have no say in it and leave it to nature to decide what appears.

Noah: can monsters appear from this?

Conner: possibly, maybe a new sentient species who knows. There far too few chances that allow us to do the slow process so there aren't that many new species that appear unless someone is careless.

i sat back looking directly at Conner. I couldn't feel any lies coming from him considering how he is towards his profession but knowing it would take so long just irked me. that best option to speed this up would be selling the ores we mine up in space. he problem is that no one up there was will to bring the Warp drive cable for us which left us with only one option.

Noah: *sigh* ok here is what we, i want all of our ships except the carrier completely remade with the ion pulse engine, i need to head up into space and pick up the warp drive cable and make a contract to sell the ore we mine down here with Mr. Cane this way we can ensure that we begin getting money and then be can begin buying and building this type of power generator.

Adam: why do we need the warp drive cable.

Noah: because there is no way in hell that the carrier can outrun that beheth we saw we need to warp out of here before it jumps out so we need that cable.

everyone understand what i was aiming for and nods.

Noah: next i want to begin the mining of the tunnels at Site Alpha. for the time being make a large number of shield drones and use them as the shields for the site while we build the turbines. Conner i want you to concentrate on finding volcanoes or whatever and start the terraforming as fast as possible, we can do that slow what you want but we need to at least heat the planet enough for water to appear if we can it would be smart to ever heat a bit to have storms begin with rain it will become impossible for the golems to come out without dieing.

Finished giving out orders everyone split up. i went with the mechanics and we all begin taking apart our ships and rebuilding them with the new engine and a few better systems to work better. The Dingys were the first to be taking apart since i needed it urgently. the first to get ripped apart was my original one. the plates were stripped off and we had to remove pretty much everything from the ship so we could build the new engine since they were near the middle of the ship and spread out everywhere.

Time it took 2 days, 1 to strip it clean, a quarter to plan the new engine, a quarter to make the new engine parts and half a day to build the ship again. it took longer to build the ship up again because the engine was different so a few parts didn't fit with the new engine. Once the ship was built I took it for test flights and adjustments that were needed to cut down power cost and overheating. the testing took another day but finally the Dingy was done and using it as a model everyone started working on the others. This also included the Gunship that had been left neglected. Dad who had been helping with the drone operations was happy to see his ship finally getting a much needed face lift.

Besides the Dingy there were 5 fighters that were remade after the Dingy was done so it would be escorts. there were still Golems in space even though i was told by radio that a new batch of miners(players) had come and instead of actually mining they began hunting these golems and harvesting their bodies for the ores. it seems that even in space there will always be hunters though this game doesn't work with levels like normal fantasy games. Want to get stronger or smarter train thats it. Most of my fighters are put through military training to increase their strength a bit because the power suits improve the strength using the users own strength though this game is to real since gaining stats outside of the tutorial room seems to be very hard.

Anyway after the all the fighters were ready we started getting ready each pilot had been given a 3 day worth of water and ration. The Dingy had been equipped with a very large fueling and support system for all the fighters. The ones coming with me were Basil in the dingy with me plus a few NPC fighters who wanted to fly a bit they had experience from flying the drones with the same controls so they picked it up relatively quickly. i also left Ernest and Gunner in charge of everything, i trusted both of them the most in the crew since both were the most experienced of all the NPC and players there and both had very high charisma, note the stat but real charisma that showed in their everyday lives as they commanded others like it was natural and no one argued much.

Everything set we finally set off. As we leave the safety of the shields we all floor the pedal and point up towards the sky while watching the rear monitor. As we reach 100 meters the behemoth appears so we reroute power to the engine and burst forward in a single large pulse leaving the creature behind.

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