Re: Dawn - The quiet war
2409.8
Pantrissa system
Pantrissa VIII...
The storage facilities on the planet were state of the art. Minerals needed for the empire were stored here and distributed through a network of both in-system and warp capable ships. The need for the resources would normally be supplied by production facilities, but, in times of high demand the storage facilities would distribute what was necessary.
Today, however, the ship approaching the landing pad wasn’t here to take resources away. They were actually bringing a load of minerals. Minerals that were mined in Pantrissa’s own number three asteroid belt and harvested by the mining ship there. The pilot of the shuttle docked and delivered his load to the transfer bin. It was weighed and scanned for any debris. A sample of the material was analyzed. It read as 93 percent pure, with only trace contaminants – well above the eighty-five per cent minimum required by Empire law.
The pilot accepted his credits, and tipped the loading crew the customary two percent. He declined an offer for a night’s stay, saying the Harvester in the asteroid field was keeping him busy, which was very true. So he wished them well, and took off. The loading crew understood – the storage facility was well below capacity, and stocks needed to be replenished.
The pilot achieved orbit and headed back to the Harvester. Absent-mindedly, he fingered the small religious symbol, and it began to glow. He spoke.
"Delivery complete."
Back on the planet, the newly-deposited minerals were taken to storage facility number three, and added to the stockpile there. Once the door was sealed, a vacuum pump removed the air from the storage bin to help prevent the minerals from degrading.
One of the contaminants in the new shipment was a substance that coated a small piece of the shipment. The material was normally inert. “Normally” in this instance meant in the presence of atmosphere or light. Inside the now sealed facility, there was neither.
The substance began to convert the mineral it was coated on into more of itself, which in turn coated more of the mineral it was in contact with, which in turn made more of the substance.
The net result of this chain reaction was that the entire facility was now storing a load of the new substance. With no more minerals to feed its growth, the process was terminated. Fully eleven percent of the Empire’s mineral stocks were converted to the useless substance. When the facility operators reported the problem, all mineral shipments were halted, further putting delays on construction projects everywhere...
Nekkar III
Corporate Headquarters...
Rita Edwards concluded her briefing. The disaster at Pantrissa VIII was repeated at the organic storage facility on Pantrissa VI - contaminated food - and the radioactive storage facility on Pantrissa II - contaminated isotopes. Edwards had the space tracks of all warp capable shuttles and there was definitely traffic from Sheliak to Pantrissa, under the flag of Cheththod, who was the only ally of the Dawn empire. As a result, warp point access was now restricted to military ships only. Traders and merchants protested, but the decision was made. Without firing a shot, the Norak and their religious believers of the Empire were winning a very different kind of war...
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