Terminus left orbit less than an hour after their new destination had been determined, heading back into Death Wind Territory for their planned stop at the abandoned Moon Base so they could let the guests out to see some of the highlights of this Galaxy.
Max updated the digital notices, including details of the base and the phenomenon, so that guests who wanted to see it could sign up for the tour.
The Mercenaries had sent them an updated map of the base and the mines below them, which extended for dozens of kilometers. They had once mined a collection of gems and minerals, but with a change in tastes, the market for them died, and the base was abandoned, kept only minimally operational by a local Mercenary Group as a last-ditch shelter should they come under attack.
As far as bases go, it wasn't very impressive, at only a few thousand square meters, but the mines were pressurized and sealed so that the workers could operate without breathing equipment, which made it a much better tour stop than it might otherwise have been.
The signups started almost immediately after the notice went up, along with a few requests to take home souvenirs from the mines.
Max wasn't sure if that was safe or not, as he hadn't seen the condition of the tunnels yet, so he left the requests pending and checked up on the progress of the other Reavers who were working in the Death Wind Territory.
The work was going much more smoothly now that the Border Nations weren't interfering, and more of the previously vetted Mercenary Groups were signing up every day. Enough of them that the purchase orders for new vessels and ship renovations were beginning to strain the capabilities of the Rae 5 dry docks.
Some of the work, like engine refits to galactic standards and interior remodels, could be done all over the Star System by the various Reaver Families that had set up space stations, but the extreme work, like high warp modifications and full power system refits for the new organic power packs, had to be done at the Moon Base, as nobody else had the expertise to do the refits yet.
They had begun training, but training a new ship engineer took years, especially with all the new technology that they didn't have a previous background in.
According to the notices that he had seen, the Replicators were already solving many food supply and distribution issues though, which was going to improve a lot of lives. The Stardusters, who were hosting their tour location, were among the lucky ones who had been struggling before the Replicators arrived but were now moving toward luxury.
Their homeworld had a fairly sizeable population, in the tens of millions, as a properly colonized world, but it was mostly swamps and oceans. With the Replicators, they were mulching the fast-growing swamp weeds, which were inedible, into biomass paste that could become gourmet meals.
The additional eight units would relieve a lot of strain on their infrastructure, but Max wasn't sure how long the rebuild interval was on the commercial units when they would presumably be running nonstop.
[Nico, do we have an industrial-sized version of the Replicators or only a commercial kitchen-sized one?] Max asked.
[There is an industrial version available, though not many have been ordering it since they plan to refit every restaurant with one, which would make the industrial ones obsolete in only a few years.] Nico replied.
[The Stardusters' homeworld has millions of people and a food shortage. I think they might want a few per city at an industrial scale to pump out the equivalent of deluxe ration packs, like the heat-and-eat meals that my parents bought all the time. Do you know the ones?]
[Yeah, I know them. They might as well be Academy Cafeteria food, but they are food and better than shelf-stable ration packs. Do you think that they would want to make that sort of thing by the millions?] Nico replied.
[Maybe not the cheap ones that the downsides eat, but yeah, something like them. If they can make them by the pallet load to ship to grocery stores, we might be able to count on them to bring more force in the future as well.]
[I will get the crew working on it. The material difference is pretty large, but it's not like they're asking for Mecha. All eight units together will only weigh a couple of tonnes. The Materials Printer that they requested is already built. Or, more correctly, we had one prebuilt in storage.]
A notification arrived on Max's watch, notifying him that over eighty percent of the guests had requested to see the caves, which meant that Max needed more tour guides.
The best place to find volunteers at the moment should be the Broken Blaster, where a lot of the crew would be on lunch break between training and their duty shifts. He could take the time to check up on the new hire that was sent there as a waitress.
Max made his way through the ship to the public areas serving the crew quarters and stopped to check on the conditions. The commanders gave him reports, but he didn't come here often to make sure that nobody was fudging their numbers.
It all looked in perfect repair, and the people he passed were all in high spirits, possibly because of their recent mission with no loss of life and a week-long birthday party. Either way, it was what Max wanted to see.
He stepped into the Broken Blaster, and the atmosphere changed from a clean and orderly military ship to a downside honky tonk. The bar now had sawdust on the floors, barrels of mixed nuts for the patrons to snack on, and a visibly intoxicated cover band playing their version of some popular rock song.
"Hey, Princess. You've got a special request." The bartender shouted, and Max saw the new hire wave from where she had just set down a table full of drinks, then saunter up to the bar and escort a man into the back rooms while another girl came out of the back to cover for her.
"Is she doing what I think she is?" Max asked the bartender, who froze in shock when he realized who was speaking.
"Commander Keres. Well, you see, it's her choice, and there's no law against how she can make her tips on the side. Plus, she's popular." The man stammered.
"Nevermind that. As long as nobody's forcing anyone, they can do what they like. But I need to find some volunteers that are sober ish and good with tourists. Most of the guests want to head to the mines, and we don't have enough assigned tour guides."
"No problem, I know just the ones you want. Echo Company are all teetotal and friendly sorts. I will send them a message, or you can have Colonel Cortez do it."
"I will get the Colonel to do it. No need to put yourself out. I wanted to inspect the area anyhow, and I knew that you would have a good idea of who I could trust with the task instead of drawing lots." Max told him with a wink, looking around at the patrons who were already heavily into the drink in the middle of the day.
