Chapter 52: 051 Taking Inventory

Five cups in and half of the jug gone, the Arboreal Maiden made a move to progress what needed to be done. "Speaking of the earlier topic, when can ARC and either one of you be made available. I am certain you wish to acquire materials in order to set up an industry yes?"

"The creation of a shipyard is one of our top priorities, yes. I take it there isn't an automated one you can just give to us, is there?"

"You should understand we are not yet at the point of automation, not anywhere close." The Maiden responded not with split, but in English. "I will do my utmost to keep your people's secrets. At the moment, you would consider our level of technological development around that of your early medieval period, if a little lacking. There are a choice few civilizations that have progressed further, but none have gotten to the atomic age."

"So no computer chips or radioactive materials, no superconductors either. Is there any chance we might be able to get access to petroleum products like plastic?"

"At the moment, no. If the Holifanians decide to accept you as a protectorate you might be able to acquire some limited levels of support in that arena, but I would not operate under the assumption that you will be. They are staunch isolationists, and even my influence may prove ineffective."

"Probably a good idea. In that case, how much of and to what degree of purity do you think we might be able to get our hands on metals like copper, iron, nickel, and aluminum?"

"Merchant, how large are our stocks of cheap metals?"

"We are actually trying to get rid of some of our store of iron and bronze, so we should have plenty of those. Aside from that I would have to check. Usually that department is handled by the more junior members."

"I see. What of our stores of nickel and aluminum?"

"Nickel? I think we only have a limited supply owing to the Great Csillacra's response to it. I seem to remember that the Marshal placed an order for more of it to be used in replacing some old armor. I, I don't think I've heard of this aluminum. It is entirely possible that I simply have not seen record of it, so I will make a check."

"Tell him not to bother. If he doesn't know what something as mind-bogglingly common like aluminum is, then you haven't yet got the refining process for it."

Aluminum was an incredibly important material used in extra terrestrial infrastructure owing to it's low density and high strength. He wasn't going to ask for titanium, something that beat aluminum in the strength to density competition, owing to it being a hell of a lot harder to work with.

"How about zinc and lead?"

"I wouldn't count on either of those. I should specify that only the Holifanian Theocratic Republic knows about specific elements."

"Damnit." Don's eyes were still closed, and a headache was returning. This time, the headache was not caused by that orange liquid. "How about gold and platinum?"

"Merchant, how much gold might we be able to spare?" Don was smart enough to infer from the lack of its mentioning that platinum was not something that was on the table.

"We might be able to spare with a hundredth of our smelted reserve, though I warn that giving away such a large amount of our minting reserves may draw the eyes of some of the more unruly nations."

"They should not require anywhere near that amount. As I understand they use gold as a component in many of their more intricate constructions." Donovan nodded at this. "Aside from those, what other metals do we have?"

The Merchant was quiet for some time as he thought of what else there might be that they could actually afford to give away. "Quicksilver?"

- - - - -

It turned out that aside from the metals, there was not much the Sanctum could provide that would actually be of immediate use. Food was fine and all, but they didn't have the highly processed materials they needed. Aside from those relatively common metals, nothing they could provide would help in extraterrestrial construction.

Plastics, for example, were a lightweight, sturdy, and cheap material that could be used for a variety of tasks where more expensive materials would have to be used instead. Chief among these was coating the interior of a spaceship. They would have to find their own fuel too, though for the moment they might be able to get away with using the reactor aboard the Noah.

This conversation about their material needs wrapped up just about the time Donovan finished the rest of what was in the jug.

This was also the time that Diana finally regained consciousness, an event announced by pained groaning. Don, who was just about able to see at the level he would normally, averted his eyes from her beautiful but woefully unclothed body.

"Skwiven, might I ask for another of those jugs?" The Arboreal Maiden addressed the small body who had been waiting at attention for the duration of their conversation. As it scampered away, she moved over to address her other charge. "Remain calm, Diana. I will soon have something to ease the pain."

Diana could only give a pained "m-hm" in return.

"Very good. In the mean time, here are some robes. They aren't the most comfortable, and they certainly aren't as appealing as your other clothing, but they are far easier to put on."

Diana's face went red at the realization of her exposure and sat up. Gingerly, the Arboreal Maiden helped her put them on.

Just as they finished, the Skwiven that had been sent out earlier returned with a fresh jug. It didn't carry another cup with it, so she would have to share Donovan's. Far more carefully than Donovan had, the Arboreal Maiden assisted it in removing the jug from its belt. With a smoothness uncharacteristic of someone with their eyes covered, she poured a very small amount, not even a tenth of the cup.

"Sip it up, slowly. If you go to fast you might end up with a headache." Diana thought the medicine smelled quite nice, though she was used to such medicines being artificially scented to make them appealing. Fortunately for her, the taste actually matched what the scent advertised, and a wave of relief made its way to the source of the pain.

"Thank you."

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"It was not a problem. Do you think you can stand?"

"In a minute, maybe. What's going on?" 

"We just finished a preliminary discussion over what materials we might be able to offer you to assist your building of a basic industry."

"Donovan was in charge of negotiations?" Diana's eyebrows raised. "He didn't do anything unsightly did he?"

"No, in fact he was quite courteous." The Arboreal Maiden handed her the cup again, this time a little bit more full.

"Thank goodness." Diana once again sipped the liquid slowly. "Did he, did he see me?"

"He made an effort not to look, but I suspect he might have seen your bare skin in his dazed state. I wouldn't hold it against him."

Diana wanted to squeal, but the sensible portion of her brain restrained that instinct. Part of her was embarrassed that she was seen in such a "vulnerable" state, another wondered if he had done anything to her. Considering her position when she awoke, probably not. Maybe if she was in a bathing suit she might be less defensive about he whole situation, but there was a difference when she was in her undergarments. Those were not supposed to be exposed, even if they covered more skin in comparison.

Taking a few deep breaths, Diana calmed herself down. Donovan was going to see her in her underwear at some point anyway, in fact he was going to see her with less on. When he first saw her like this was not relevant in the long run, even if it did get her heart racing.

"...was he at least interested?" 

More than wondering if her crush was physically attracted to her, she had some insecurities about whether or not Don would be willing to continue the human race. Being told over and over that you were attractive was one thing, actually seeing the response was another thing entirely.

"He was blushing, probably, if that's what you mean. I couldn't quite be sure owing to my blindfold, but his heart most certainly fluttered when he looked in your direction." This in turn caused Diana's heart beat to increase and her body temperature to rise.

A sudden exhale.

"Anyways, we should get back to business." Diana was no longer pained by the exposure to split, though she was still sipping that liquid between each sentence. "My name is Diana Helmsguard, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

The robes were rather loose, something that Diana and the Arboreal Maiden alike realized as Diana stood up. They weren't in danger of falling off of her body, but they were threatening to trip her up. As Don had done before her, she offered up her hand as the Arboreal Maiden translated.

"It is my pleasure, Lady . . . Helmsguard was it? I apologize if my pronunciation is off. I am one of the Sanctum's Grand Elders, the Merchant. Firche is my given name, but I insist that you only call me Merchant as you would address the Scholar or the Captain. It is a cultural preference, one I am sure you will soon come to understand, but I will not scold you for using Grand Elder Firche."

Don marveled at how his introduction was practically identical to the one before. Perhaps this was a peculiarity of split, though it being a practiced greeting for his station was not entirely off the table either.

The Merchant didn't hesitate to shake her hand as he had with Donovan. He was quite proud of his ability to pick up cultural customs quickly. It was an important skill considering his station, though he couldn't exactly demonstrate it to the fullest with such a minor pleasantry as a handshake. Still, it was seamless enough for Diana to initially believe that handshakes were part of their culture, though the limp-wristed-ness of his handshake betrayed this assumption.

"We had just finished going over a list of materials that you would be requisitioning in order to rebuild with. I suppose you wouldn't yet be able to read Sanctum-script, so would I be able to read the list over again to see if you have any requests?"

"That is an excellent idea, Grand Elder Firche."

- - - - -

Aside from the addition of some various seeds, Diana didn't have anything she could think of. Most of the materials she would want were also highly processed, plastics once again being chief among them.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time." Diana gave a slight bow.

"It is not a problem. Now if you wouldn't mind, would it be permissible for me to leave now? Aside from gathering an assortment of materials that you might need for you to look over later, I have important matters that should be handled in a timely manner."

"Please do. I will send a Skwiven with a missive detailing where to meet them and with how much of each material at a later time. I am certain that they would appreciate it if you could arrange a sample of the raw materials they are interested in for them to get an idea of the quantity. Standard bars should do for the metals, though perhaps the yields of the seeds might be better than the seeds themselves." The Arboreal Maiden was trying to make as much time as possible for them to do stuff before they had to attend the academy.

"Naturally. While I might be pressed for time, I can certainly have one of my aides gather the materials required for such a small thing. Would you like me to bring along a selection of metals you did not expressly say you wanted?"

Both Diana and Donovan nodded to this suggestion. Given their limited knowledge of metallurgy, it might be useful to get a look at some of the other options to see if any part of it was something they needed. ARC and the Noah possessed the capability to determine an external sample's atomic make-up, so if they could find a lump of iron or other such metal that contained traces of aluminum in it they could potentially use that small portion to get started.

There were a great many steps needed to actually build a slipway, armor plating foundries, electronics manufactories, and the necessary structure producers to actually make the slipway's skeleton chief among them. Supposedly, ARC could manufacture the necessary electronic equipment through the use of the Noah's nanodrones, but it was expected to be terribly inefficient, slow, and a burden on ARC's processing capabilities.

Unfortunately, until a steady supply of the relevant materials and a satisfactory industrial base could be realized, it was looking like ARC would just have to deal with it.

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