The Ctan
14-11-2004, 22:49
Delta Zeta Four – Several Years After the Annexation (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=336272)
The space station orbiting the planet, still only half complete was colossal, many kilometres of spindly framework and storage spaces. A massive pyramid rose in the middle of the structure, which served as the major spaceport for this province of the Empire. The place was always a hive of activity serving as the major route of all trade to and from the planet below, which, with its population of over one hundred and sixty five million people was quite a lot, even though their many years of isolation had taught them to act independently, the Empire was keen on establishing trade. Not just that, but they were also keen on other things flowing into the province. Ideas and education not least - the previous regime had supported a very basic “Three Rs” approach, but the empire had been more keen on introducing science education – if not to the same level of development as that in the Empire’s own education system, then to a basic space faring level at the least.
Additionally, they had recently begun a program of off-world education for the most talented youngsters, children and teenagers – though more moderate than the concept implied, more like a boarding school. For term time they would be sent off to a number of dedicated colleges – paid for with the 20% income tax levied on the state below, which was still far below the taxation imposed by the previous regime. The major purpose of this schooling was to engender a very much pro empire stance in the future populace of the planet who would hold the reigns of military, civil and cultural authority, and of those who were offered places off world, most predictably went simply because it was one of the few ways to experience other worlds, and get a very high quality education completely free of charge.
The same taxes were used for other things too – expanding the inhabitable area of the planet for example, pushing out into the rainforest and building new and perhaps even more formidable defences consisting of deep ditches of frighteningly sharp pointy objects of every calibre and hue, weak force fields designed for incinerating airborne spores, laser meshes, and large defensive weapons. A new spaceport, the match of any that serviced the smaller cities of Duat, occupied some of this space, and carefully planned farming was planned for the rest of it.
Some was also being kept for the future. It was planned to raise a small army from Delta Zeta Four, not for conquest, for such things were far more the field of expertise of the necron troops of the empire, but for peacekeeping. It was for this reason that twenty percent of the taxes from the planet went toward making armaments for its future use, or were saved for the upkeep of the army that would eventually be raised from the population. It was also for this reason that Governor Sharan, the necrontyr viceroy of the planet, was in one of the station’s many docking bays, awaiting the Striker class fast vessel that was bearing his guest here. Prince Asirnoth. Warmaster and director of the Empire’s armies – and the most important being in the empire except the Emperor himself. The docking bay was colossal, easily able to hold the one hundred and sixty meter vessel, and the governor saw it from the long docking tube at the side of the bay that would connect to the visiting vessel. He checked his white diplomatic uniform for blemishes once more, and hoped that this inspection of the province would go well.
The space station orbiting the planet, still only half complete was colossal, many kilometres of spindly framework and storage spaces. A massive pyramid rose in the middle of the structure, which served as the major spaceport for this province of the Empire. The place was always a hive of activity serving as the major route of all trade to and from the planet below, which, with its population of over one hundred and sixty five million people was quite a lot, even though their many years of isolation had taught them to act independently, the Empire was keen on establishing trade. Not just that, but they were also keen on other things flowing into the province. Ideas and education not least - the previous regime had supported a very basic “Three Rs” approach, but the empire had been more keen on introducing science education – if not to the same level of development as that in the Empire’s own education system, then to a basic space faring level at the least.
Additionally, they had recently begun a program of off-world education for the most talented youngsters, children and teenagers – though more moderate than the concept implied, more like a boarding school. For term time they would be sent off to a number of dedicated colleges – paid for with the 20% income tax levied on the state below, which was still far below the taxation imposed by the previous regime. The major purpose of this schooling was to engender a very much pro empire stance in the future populace of the planet who would hold the reigns of military, civil and cultural authority, and of those who were offered places off world, most predictably went simply because it was one of the few ways to experience other worlds, and get a very high quality education completely free of charge.
The same taxes were used for other things too – expanding the inhabitable area of the planet for example, pushing out into the rainforest and building new and perhaps even more formidable defences consisting of deep ditches of frighteningly sharp pointy objects of every calibre and hue, weak force fields designed for incinerating airborne spores, laser meshes, and large defensive weapons. A new spaceport, the match of any that serviced the smaller cities of Duat, occupied some of this space, and carefully planned farming was planned for the rest of it.
Some was also being kept for the future. It was planned to raise a small army from Delta Zeta Four, not for conquest, for such things were far more the field of expertise of the necron troops of the empire, but for peacekeeping. It was for this reason that twenty percent of the taxes from the planet went toward making armaments for its future use, or were saved for the upkeep of the army that would eventually be raised from the population. It was also for this reason that Governor Sharan, the necrontyr viceroy of the planet, was in one of the station’s many docking bays, awaiting the Striker class fast vessel that was bearing his guest here. Prince Asirnoth. Warmaster and director of the Empire’s armies – and the most important being in the empire except the Emperor himself. The docking bay was colossal, easily able to hold the one hundred and sixty meter vessel, and the governor saw it from the long docking tube at the side of the bay that would connect to the visiting vessel. He checked his white diplomatic uniform for blemishes once more, and hoped that this inspection of the province would go well.