they were
getting no outside help in doing so.
Everything here was being built locally, which was
part of the draw for Naisha and the other immigrants. This was a Protovic
civilization, and while they were part of Star Force she found it appealing to
have a corner of it that was their own. That wasn’t to say she wanted to be
isolationist, not at all, but she did like the idea of them being able to pull
their own weight and eventually give back to the rest of Star Force later on
when they had the strength to really make a difference in the war against the
lizards.
That was beyond her prevue though, so she was
determined to do what she could in support of those that would be going out to
fight. Already there was a small number of advanced Protovic teams fighting
alongside Axius, but the bulk of their limited military was still involved in
permanent training to get them ready and establish a core group that others
generations could build upon. Everything here had been built from scratch, and
while they did have all the wisdom and experience of Star Force and the
leadership of a trailblazer, some things still had to be earned with time and
the Protovic were no exception.
But they were earning their keep and learning, which
was why Naisha was so excited to be here and be a part of it, finally, after
getting passed up so many times for transfer. She loved the community on Onyx,
but now that she was here she realized this was truly where she belonged.
Another added bonus was that the Veliquesh that had
tried to kill her and the others were now stuck in a prison facility in another
system entirely, rather than being right next door. They couldn’t get out
unless they earned their way out, but the fact that a lot of them were still
alive and unrepentant was a disturbing thought. She knew that wouldn’t last
forever, and even if Star Force isolation kept them alive longer than they
would have been in their former decrepit society, they wouldn’t last forever unless
they attained self-sufficiency, which Naisha knew required a lot of training
and the willingness to analyze and rework a person’s interior.
Veliquesh didn’t do that. They prayed to the Nash to
aid them rather than trying to do it themselves. She’d already heard that some
of the prison facilities were being torn down and the materials recycled as
they were no longer needed, for the prisoner count was diminishing with each
year. A few would earn their way out, but the rest were simply dying off from
what had mistakenly been considered old age in the past. Now she realized it
was really physical and mental degradation.
In short, the Veliquesh that didn’t learn from Star
Force and become Protovic were going to have their sick culture kill them
through an alternative means…stagnation. The tools were there for them to use
and learn from, but if they didn’t they’d eventually die off. All of them
would, and that thought comforted Naisha. Not because of their failure to
change, but because the nightmare of the Veliquesh would, some day in the
future, be completely erased from the galaxy, and the ongoing deconstruction
efforts of the prison facilities meant that day wasn’t too far away.
Here though she didn’t have to worry about that, or
see it. These were all Protovic, as she was, and they had a bright future ahead
of them if they were willing to work at it, and she was, for while she was
going to be working in the cafeteria she was also taking additional maturia
courses at a slow pace attempting to create new skills. Right now that was just
a basic, all around training program, but if she showed aptitude in anything
she was going to pursue it, for while she was helping Star Force in a tiny way
she wanted to do more.
And even if it took her 100 years of training to get
to the point where she was able to do that, she was ok with it. For now that
she was self-sufficient she had all the time in the galaxy, and no matter what
meager achievements she was able
getting no outside help in doing so.
Everything here was being built locally, which was
part of the draw for Naisha and the other immigrants. This was a Protovic
civilization, and while they were part of Star Force she found it appealing to
have a corner of it that was their own. That wasn’t to say she wanted to be
isolationist, not at all, but she did like the idea of them being able to pull
their own weight and eventually give back to the rest of Star Force later on
when they had the strength to really make a difference in the war against the
lizards.
That was beyond her prevue though, so she was
determined to do what she could in support of those that would be going out to
fight. Already there was a small number of advanced Protovic teams fighting
alongside Axius, but the bulk of their limited military was still involved in
permanent training to get them ready and establish a core group that others
generations could build upon. Everything here had been built from scratch, and
while they did have all the wisdom and experience of Star Force and the
leadership of a trailblazer, some things still had to be earned with time and
the Protovic were no exception.
But they were earning their keep and learning, which
was why Naisha was so excited to be here and be a part of it, finally, after
getting passed up so many times for transfer. She loved the community on Onyx,
but now that she was here she realized this was truly where she belonged.
Another added bonus was that the Veliquesh that had
tried to kill her and the others were now stuck in a prison facility in another
system entirely, rather than being right next door. They couldn’t get out
unless they earned their way out, but the fact that a lot of them were still
alive and unrepentant was a disturbing thought. She knew that wouldn’t last
forever, and even if Star Force isolation kept them alive longer than they
would have been in their former decrepit society, they wouldn’t last forever unless
they attained self-sufficiency, which Naisha knew required a lot of training
and the willingness to analyze and rework a person’s interior.
Veliquesh didn’t do that. They prayed to the Nash to
aid them rather than trying to do it themselves. She’d already heard that some
of the prison facilities were being torn down and the materials recycled as
they were no longer needed, for the prisoner count was diminishing with each
year. A few would earn their way out, but the rest were simply dying off from
what had mistakenly been considered old age in the past. Now she realized it
was really physical and mental degradation.
In short, the Veliquesh that didn’t learn from Star
Force and become Protovic were going to have their sick culture kill them
through an alternative means…stagnation. The tools were there for them to use
and learn from, but if they didn’t they’d eventually die off. All of them
would, and that thought comforted Naisha. Not because of their failure to
change, but because the nightmare of the Veliquesh would, some day in the
future, be completely erased from the galaxy, and the ongoing deconstruction
efforts of the prison facilities meant that day wasn’t too far away.
Here though she didn’t have to worry about that, or
see it. These were all Protovic, as she was, and they had a bright future ahead
of them if they were willing to work at it, and she was, for while she was
going to be working in the cafeteria she was also taking additional maturia
courses at a slow pace attempting to create new skills. Right now that was just
a basic, all around training program, but if she showed aptitude in anything
she was going to pursue it, for while she was helping Star Force in a tiny way
she wanted to do more.
And even if it took her 100 years of training to get
to the point where she was able to do that, she was ok with it. For now that
she was self-sufficient she had all the time in the galaxy, and no matter what
meager achievements she was able
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