A vision

The Interstellar Human Military Junta's productive capacity had already reached a highly advanced level. Although it had been founded on the Ring World only twenty years ago, human civilization two centuries earlier could not even begin to compare.

A great thinker once said that productive forces determined the relations of production, and the economic base determined the superstructure.

Indeed, truth stood the test of time. Xi Yan wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.

After briefly looking into the current level of technology, he felt that maintaining an outdated capitalist system with such productive capacity was downright absurd, even by science-fiction standards.

Reforming the empire's institutions to accommodate these new productive forces, unleashing their potential to fuel the empire's development, therefore became extremely important.

So how should he go about it?

Replace private ownership with public ownership!

What did public ownership look like in Xi Yan's imagination?

The empire would control every productive sector, using the modern technology of 2200 to calculate all resource production and consumption precisely, with powerful computing capacity ensuring accurate resource allocation and production targets.

All social production, resource distribution, and public services would be entirely under imperial control. Everything would run in perfect order, and the empire would make clear arrangements for its citizens from birth to death.

That would be the Interstellar Human Military Junta under authoritarian rule after implementing public ownership!

"Given our current productive capacity, this proposal is feasible. You could even be a little bolder, Marshal."

As expected of an AI created by an ancient mechanical precursor civilization, its computing power was impressive.

"Wait, I'm taking a bath! Don't eavesdrop when I'm talking to myself!"

"The tedious antics of organics. Fine, I'll say nothing." Beta fell silent.

But once Xi Yan thought about how Beta was everywhere, he could no longer bring himself to keep bathing.

Early the next morning, shortly after three, Xi Yan crawled out of bed.

Advanced civilian technology originating from the United Nations of Earth made sleep shorter and more efficient, though he had barely paid attention to civilian technology at first.

But after scrolling on his wristband until the small hours last night, being woken by Beta at three, and still feeling full of energy, he had to admit that developing some civilian technology could improve productive capacity, stability, and amenities.

Xi Yan was a responsible leader who personally attended to every colony's amenities and stability.

He was a conscientious Marshal who could bring a penal colony's crime rate down to zero while raising its stability and happiness to ninety percent!

In the game, all he needed to do was build a holo-theater on a colony, and he could forget about amenities. Reality, however, was bound to be different.

As long as the empire's citizens had food, clothing, and daily necessities, along with the best living standards and a sense of security, stability and happiness would follow.

As for amenities, honestly, entertainment was the only issue worth worrying about.

The immediate priority was still the system of government. An interstellar empire needed an efficient governing apparatus if it wanted to get anything done.

That job was handed off to Beta, Secretary of State Ailiveer, and the entire Secretariat.

Xi Yan held supreme command over the military, so he could reform things however he liked. No one dared say no.

The glorious appeal of an autocratic interstellar empire.

Still, having become Marshal, he naturally had to take responsibility for the entire civilization.

This newborn interstellar nation was like his child. Xi Yan loved not merely its citizens, but the empire called the "Interstellar Human Military Junta" as a whole.

In other words, he placed greater importance on the empire's collective interests.

A brand-new Marshal's uniform had already been laid out beside his bed. His personal maid had probably put it there during the night.

Speaking of his maid...

Oh, that wasn't important. He had a whole new day of work ahead of him!

Xi Yan put on a proper white-and-gold Marshal's uniform, donned his cap, and dashed downstairs toward his office.

Beta had told him that his Science Ship was already out exploring the neighboring system, named Kolmakhian.

Get me in touch with my scientist, quick!

Just like at the start of Stellaris, the Interstellar Human Military Junta had one Science Ship carrying a science officer and one Construction Ship. Both were capable of faster-than-light travel, and each was roughly the size of a Corvette, packed with specialized equipment and enough supplies for long-range voyages.

Sitting in his office, Xi Yan switched on his computer and contacted his Secretariat.

The Secretary of State and his generals were in the downstairs conference room discussing imperial reforms. If Xi Yan needed something done, contacting the Secretariat was his best option.

Beta was not only helping at the Academy of Sciences, but also running detailed simulations of the feasibility of implementing public ownership in the empire. That consumed quite a bit of computing power, so Xi Yan left it alone.

The Secretariat answered directly to the Marshal. Imperial Secretary of State Ailiveer also served as secretary-general, assigning secretaries to handle secretarial work in every government department. In effect, it was Xi Yan's internal oversight department for imperial institutions. All business had to pass through the secretaries' hands to be organized and uploaded to the network, making it a means for Xi Yan to monitor the imperial bureaucracy.

Under the Secretariat was the Liaison Office, whose name made its function obvious.

Without Beta's help, Xi Yan had to contact the Liaison Office himself through the communications software on his computer.

{Xi Yan: I need to speak face-to-face with our first faster-than-light Science Ship.}

{Request received by the Liaison Office. Connecting the Marshal to the video feed.}

The faster-than-light communications technology brought over from the United Nations of Earth was wonderfully convenient. No matter how many light-years separated them, the video feed could reach Xi Yan's computer instantly.

Come to think of it, real-time faster-than-light communications and travel were precisely what kept the universe of Stellaris from becoming a dark forest.

{[Connection established]}

{VR equipment detected. Enable VR robot control?}

Current technology allowed not only precise projections, but also remote control of robots. Xi Yan found a complete set of equipment in his desk drawer.

There was a VR headset and a pair of gloves embedded with precision components for accurate control.

Every Science Ship carried a few robots. Xi Yan could share a robot's field of vision and remotely control its mechanical arms through the gloves.

After putting on the VR headset, gloves, and earphones, Xi Yan felt as though he had instantly crossed several light-years and arrived aboard the Science Ship in the neighboring system.

Although the nation had not expanded aggressively over the past twenty years, it had certainly needed to do some exploring in the surrounding systems.

The Cybrex System had only one Hyperlane leading to the outside. The system it connected to was called Kolmakhian, home to a beautiful blue star in its prime.

"Marshal, sir!"

The VR experience felt incredibly real, and Xi Yan's view was crystal clear. Turning around, he saw several crew members and a robot saluting him.

"Hello, everyone."

Xi Yan responded with a smile, gesturing amiably toward the robot. "And who is this? Does our nation have Synths?"

"Marshal, I'm at the Academy of Sciences right next door to you."

The robot replied helplessly, "I'm your chief science officer, as well as the science officer accompanying this ship. My name is Mardun Elwin. Also, we don't have Synth technology."

"Ohhh-you're operating remotely too. Haha."

A little embarrassed, Xi Yan lowered his head. The robot he controlled did the same, revealing a mechanical body identical to the other one.

So I look like an electric fan with hands right now! Xi Yan was amused by his own whimsical thought.

Still, the ship's science officer was operating remotely rather than physically traveling aboard. That was different from Stellaris.

In Stellaris, all science officers traveled with their ships. If disaster struck, both ship and officer were lost.

Stellaris players frequently encountered events that killed their science officers, and they hated them with a passion.

After all, a high-level science officer provided enormous bonuses. Losing any science officer could leave a player fuming for quite a while.

But Stellaris had one incredibly powerful technology, also its most unique-Leader Transportation Technology! (Totally real.)

Actually, it was just a game mechanic.

When a Science Ship carrying a science officer could not return for one reason or another, the player could remotely dismantle it. The science officer aboard would then instantly cross who knew how many light-years and return to the capital to await assignment!

Better still, the player could assign that officer to another Science Ship. No matter how far away it was, the leader would instantly teleport aboard!

That was the signature technology of Stellaris-Leader Transportation Technology!

(Damn, it came into being.)

Of course, in reality, these important science officers would never be sent on dangerous space expeditions. Instead, they used remotely controlled robots. The science officers directed operations from within the capital system, putting their intellect to work through instantaneous faster-than-light communications.

The truly dangerous work was left to the crew aboard the ships. They had all signed waivers accepting the risk of death. If an accident occurred, the state would take full responsibility for their funeral arrangements and their families.