Xeno Core

Chapter 46: What's Gerrymandering?

Glian's garage is busier than ever before. Not only the security teams but also many of the work crews go to his garage for their routine maintenance. His current location, while conveniently positioned, is far too small to accommodate all the business he receives. In fact, with the influx of business that his new contract brings he now seeks a larger establishment.

I believe setting up a new facility would be his best course of action. None of the available locations that fulfill the size requirement also provide the necessary connections. However, a place could be made underneath the second docking tower. Much of the stone is already bored out, though it is currently scheduled to be converted into an upscale housing division and a shopping center to support it.

Yosip would be able to authorize such a change, so I show him the proposed location, as well as the redrawn plans. He isn't happy with where I placed the new shopping district, but his modification is equally fine to me. Where I propose it being built a layer lower, he wants the shops to surround the garage like at Glian's current location.

He then wants me to run the plans by Glian. It makes sense, as the Tserri mechanic is the one who must work there. If he's happy with the location we intend to offer him a unit in the housing section, which Yosip wants to call Little Grassea. He shows me the sketch for the design of the houses. The set of his jaw makes me think he expect me to dismiss the design as ugly, or simplistic or some such, but I rather like them.

The houses are set in rows, each built wide and low. Two stories tall, with the bottom recessed and accessed by stairs. They are constructed of brown and red bricks of various sizes. Each wall is a mosaic, unique in design. Polished rocks are also integrated into the structure, and the roofs covered with a layer of turf that slopes into the ground. From above the homes will resemble rolling hills. The entire neighborhood is to be set within a single large cavern, with lights set into the roof to mimic a day cycle.

"The design is quite pleasing, Yosip. I'm sure whoever ends up living here will love it," I assure him. "Let me connect Glian for you, and we can see if he has any changes he wants made."

He grunts in response but remains otherwise silent. I think I may have surprised him.

I send the design files to his garage, as well as initiating a call to the same location. He's smeared in grease when he answers and jumps in shock when he sees Yosip's scarred visage leering back at him.

"Supply-Master. To what do I owe the honor?"

"None of that, now," Yosip chides him jokingly. "You've done good work for us for some time now, and a valued member of my staff recommended your name when a new position became available."

"Is this about the contract I received recently? I'm interested, really, but I don't have the space to take on any further projects." To illustrate his point he gestures around him at the cramped garage. "As you can see, I'm already running into issues."

"Yes, I see," replies Yosip. "That's the reason I'm contacting you, personally. There are plans to expand under the new docking tower. Housing district, shopping centers, and a very spacious workshop right there. We still need to finalize the design, and wanted to get your input, since we wanted to offer it to you first."

Glian looks down, noticing the new files on his garage computer. He opens the files up and scrolls through the pictures.

"This looks pretty nice. Yeah, I do have a few suggestions, if you're willing to listen. There are a few diagnostic machines I could use, and several heavy fabricators. The ones I have aren't meant for as hard as I work them."

At Yosip's urging the mechanic begins listing specific parts. I place orders as he speaks, keeping a running total of what it will cost the station. When they've finished the list is quite long, but our crafters should be able to handle everything.

"I want to put in a few extra cameras and microphones, as well as a few other observational tools," I state.

"Figured you would," Yosip replies with a chuckle. "Make sure there are enough in the shopping district in general to keep it under watch."

"Since we're on the subject of video," I say slowly, "I'd like to also get the servers expanded. Each camera we add requires more storage, and we're already stretched to our limit."

"The server room is bordered on all sides by essential equipment," argues Yosip. "It can't be expanded. Find somewhere to install a larger one. I want the current one emptied out and transferred as quickly as possible. We need the space for other equipment."

He speaks of the processors that handle our internal data traffic, external communications, and other data retrieval functions. As the residents become more comfortable with the infrastructure they are indeed making greater use of it. If it is not strengthened, soon the systems will be overwhelmed. Enhancing the processing power of the station computers should also allow faster retrieval speeds when accessing the temporary storage archives, which I can only agree we need.

As we are already determining how the rock should be hollowed out and what should go where, I feel it should be a simple matter to designate a new server room in the new shopping district. Putting it between two other businesses will hopefully keep it from being as obvious as the last one.

While the servers haven't been the target of vandalism yet, it is only a matter of time. The components it contains could be the needful infusion of wealth a desperate individual requires to free themselves from poverty.

Yosip's design for the use of the territory seems out of character at first. It isn't until after careful contemplation that I determine the reasoning behind the attention being lavished upon the proposed Little Grassea. Yosip is trying to reduce the density of the population by spreading them out, reducing the competitive pressures the constant presence of so many must be placing upon our residents.

It isn't something I had previously given much mind to. But after Yosip so expertly points it out to me, it seems obvious. His people cannot handle prolonged exposure to each other.

Their ships are far more spacious than would seem efficient for such vessels. The ships of theirs that I personally have experience with only carry a light complement of crew. The station itself had only been built to hold less than ninety individuals for any length of time, a tiny fraction of what we house now. I've yet to see one of their cities myself, so cannot guess to their population density.

Those he assigns to the new district are mostly members of the administrative staff. A few are to be given to officers among the security squads with the rest being rented out to any that can afford them. The income isn't necessary to the station. The cost seems to exist only as motivation, to encourage those that want to improve their lives that there is something to work towards.

I add my own name to the list of potential business operators to be rented shopfronts in the Grassea shopping area. My submission requires approval from multiple administrators, a failsafe Yosip added to prevent anyone from making any unilateral decisions. I quickly amend my approval to the request, fulfilling half the requirements already.