Dreams of the Future
The most damning indictment resulting from the Codexian civil crisis of 223-225AU was that it proved, conclusively, that any attempt at interstellar government - even under Codexia's relatively decentralized and inclusive system - was the ultimate exercise in the delicate balancing of interests, priorities and the allocation of perpetually limited resources toward the satisfaction of the aforementioned. We had come to within a few ill-chosen words short of a war pitting human against human; brother against brother, for the first time in almost three centuries. Salvaging the situation, as it stood in 224AU, required vision, finesse and, most of all, MONEY. Copious, jaw-dropping quantities of it. Enough to satiate the gaping maw of existing social and colonization programs for entire election campaigns to come. Enough to buy off hundreds of politicians and their endless entourages - the men and women who would clamp down on separatist dissent, and make it look like it was the dissenters' own idea.
And so, the Codexian government appealed to the Raumen. Trillions of credits were humbly requested... and grudgingly handed over at painful interest rates. It would prove to be just enough. Eventually, the fires of Leonid sputtered out, and the tendrils of rebellion were choked to death by the power of suddenly limitless currency. By 230AU, Codexianity seemed back on track. The shadow of planetary proto-nationalism still haunted domestic policies for many years following the crisis, to be sure. However, at least this dangerous realization of self-identity no longer asked questions of Codexia's sovereign integrity. It turned into an ever-present background noise; always buzzing, to one's irritation, but not loud enough to warrant drastic action. All in all, it was now abundantly clear that much of Codexianity no longer had an inborn loyalty to the homeplanet, or its ruling government. The underlying problem was not resolved - its resolution had been postponed until the next great stress test for the Codexian state.
Perhaps the only truly positive outcome of the whole episode was an extraordinary scientific development in 223AU.
Is this discovery... a true AI? Capable of controlling everything from production floors to combat vessels, it signals a quantum leap in computing and systems management, amongst a host of other fields. Its implications are astounding.
OR
Is this the discovery of... a brand new synthesized mineral? Not only will it prove immensely profitable on both the domestic and the interstellar market, it also has the added benefit of increasing the explosive power of your missiles at least two-fold, and the sublight speed of your vessels significantly.
OR
Is this the discovery of... an ancient hulk of unknown origin in the orbit of a lonely star in the Colonial Expanse? The hulk may yield secrets beyond imagination in years to come - or it may prove completely useless.
OR
Is this the discovery of... a small and heavily damaged Turanei vessel, courtesy of the Phyr? It would reveal a great deal about the true state of Turanei technology, were it properly examined by experienced Codexian techs.
OR
Is this discovery... the humble beginning of a super-weapon program? Though the journey is long, the reward at the end might be worth it.