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<span class="mu-b">”That's the best part; the Swall have already uncovered most of their planet's useful metals and construction materials- and we have the planet's twin moons to work with. Water is one of the most common substances in the universe; but shipping it to a barren planet to try something similar would take a very long time and be very wasteful in terms of spending. The only issue would be to resist the oceanic pressures, the city would need <span class="mu-s">Azurium</span> for its construction...”</span>
<span class="mu-r">”That Azurium is reserved for military use, Mann.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">”I know, my lord. And it is not my place to speculate on the Hegeony's military situation... I simply cannot hide the potential of this project! Please consider it!”</span>
Mann Yumm's project is a big one. It also goes against some core tenants of the Hegemony itself; only a strong government can protect the biosphere in an industrialized world. But it's important not to get caught into spiritual thinking; there is nothing <span class="mu-i">inherently</span> valuable about a natural planet's ecosystem. Especially Swalli- whose planet has already gone through the mass extinction event that occurs whenever any industrialized species evolves on a planet. They'd had already done a good job trying to catalog and keep genetic records of the various wild animals and plants as they slowly went extinct- even now while the planet heals from a lack of serious colonization it is still a shadow of its former biodiversity. To destroy it utterly? It would be an act of reverse-transforming- turning a living planet into a totally unnatural construction- but one that would be incredible useful. Even your limited experience in city-planning and urban design can see how valuable such a world would be. Billions of families for workers, taxes, culture and scientific research...
Then there is the second concern; of the Esaal. The lucky find of Azurium was practically guaranteed to be put towards some military application; but truthfully, does it need to be? Azurium armor would be a great boon to your spaceship armor; but it still won't give you battleships on its own nor will it help you counter the Esaal's dark ships or other weapons. Secondly; Cijans theory is right. Since all this time, the Esaal have not attacked the Hegemony again. After the spy warfare and deep-space reconnaissance you've found nothing to indicate more Esaal activity headed your way. It seems highly likely <span class="mu-i">the Esaal are not planning on escalating the conflict further</span>. Of course, using the newfound Azurium this way would limit your ability to be <span class="mu-i">aggressive</span> towards the Esaal if you wished to campaign against them yourself- though you're not sure if you have the will to another act. Even the thought donning that mask again for a genocide crusade against the Esaal fills you with a deep sense of hollowness...
At the very least, Mann Yumm has earned a moment of your time. What is your choice?
>Build the City-Planet
>Decline the Proposal
