For the next year or two, Xi Yan received no news of the Starfish remnants. Perhaps they had found somewhere safe to hide and quietly rebuild. Xi Yan did not care. The Human Empire had become the true master of the Sea of Stars, and a bunch of Starfish who had lost their homes and families hardly warranted much attention.
He told the Synth Free Star System Alliance and the neighboring nations to keep an eye out for news of the Starfish remnants, then stopped concerning himself with them.
Serving as the Sea of Stars Custodian was no simple task, nor was it a position where he could say a few words and then coast through life.
Xi Yan led the Sea of Stars Most Holy Human Empire straight into a series of construction projects. Through threats, incentives, and every other means available, he forced the various nations to sign special peace treaties stipulating that all acts of war required the Sea of Stars Custodian's approval, imposing peace by force.
At the same time, he connected the nations' Gateways and Hyperspace Relays into a galactic transportation network to promote universal trade.
Xi Yan used the government's powerful, visible hand to control the economy directly, preparing to establish a new economic market through which he could control every nation's economy.
The central idea was to create specialized nations, each producing a single resource, with a Trade Network spanning the Milky Way allowing them to supply one another. Cut off trade, and every nation would collapse on the spot.
Then Xi Yan poured out vast quantities of energy credits and began building Hyperspace Relays and Gateways all across the Milky Way.
Transportation was the foundation of everything. Whether for trade or military operations, a fast, convenient transportation network was always a good