With Apples properly onboard, that was the green quadrant of the 4x organization I'd pigeonholed my rule into covered for now. He was fully engaged in trying to better the variety of foods available on-world, which would translate to a hopefully happier general populace. It might take some time to see results from that, given we'd have to wait for a passing trade ship with the right seeds he was seeking. But at least there were other fields he could manage in the meantime such as investigating the possibility of aquaculture.
Meanwhile, I pushed on with the creation of another administrative establishment, one that would oversee the inventory, handling, and usage of those valuable printers. The Department of Industry, and who better to head it than the current leader of the logistics corps itself. Lieutenant Nasir became Director-Lieutenant Nasir, joining me in the ranks of the 'titles we really should have thought out before christening.'
It also surreptitiously placed more members of our armed forces into the Cavia Committee that I led, which I guessed was only to be expected. Something that I knew looked quite suspicious given that they were considered both part of the military and the civilian government from still holding such positions. But would you believe me when I said that it actually was a quite regular and commonplace thing in this setting?
With how some megacorps unabashedly functioned as interstellar kingdoms themselves, things like corporate executives somehow doubling as military commanders was normalized in this universe. It was a part of how Erica, even though she was just the captain of an asset protection team, had a voice in corporate power plays. A curious thing that I realized probably was a little way for GMs to cut down on the character list bloat. Because needing to generate individuals for both the private and public sectors was probably quite extensive, so better to sometimes cross them and wave it off as 'it works.'
Speaking of Erica and Harrison Armory though, alongside the mention of the private sector, there was the next bureaucracy and position I wanted to create that would be tied heavily to them. The Department of Economics would be tackling on that staggering challenge of trying to manage a planetary marketplace, a feat that was arguably made all the more harder yet also paradoxically all the more easier because of manna. Only when I began to look into the topic myself did I realize why in Lancer, the core rulebook encouraged using a simple License Level system instead of the more minutia manna system detailed in a supplement.
Manna was a curious thing in Union, because while everybody knew what it was and was comfortable with exchanging it, it wasn't just like a simple universal currency used across all of human space. It was instead the abstracted conglomeration of many things that held value, ranging from traditional paper bills to handwaved personal favors between individuals. It was something that had emerged from the fact that Metropolitan worlds, in all their utopian wisdom, abolished money.
...Yeah, I didn't get it either. But if that was how the setting worked, then I guess it worked? And given how manna was indeed very accepted as being 'favors between those who have it all' then sure.
But obviously, the people of the Cavia system couldn't just adopt the same system. Least of all because we were probably the furthest thing from the supposed paradise touted by the Core Worlds. No, manna here usually translated to an amalgamation of various things that folks usually agreed had value. Bartering in all but name.
And it could become a right mess at times.
The perceived valuation of an item could rise or fall with little warning and vary from community to community. Like, say a loaf of bread in a settlement with hydroponics could drastically jump up in price in a remote location with very difficult access to the good. Or how about a pallet of ore? Very valuable if you're someplace with printer access but near a mine that digs up the stuff? Forget it, you'd have to be trading far more to make up for the difference in one's eye.
That was the critical thing that made this a massive giant headache. It all depended on what people valued the item as when you were striking a deal with, with the counterargument being what fair market price would be. It worked for deals without involving the government, which was something they certainly tried their best with to avoid involving House Hessin- but now with my administration, it was a struggle.
I had to change this, if only to give future tax collectors respite from needing to argue about the value of things people would try to pay their due with. The issue is that unfortunately, neither the local populace or my own forces could provide a suitable candidate for this position. Least of all because they both offered the same few solutions that I internally cringed at.
Let's...not bring back into circulation those old SecComm bills. You know, the ones that screamed about conquering the stars in humanity's name? I feel like if we started to print those again, we'd definitely be getting more than a few raised eyebrows. Sure, it had been what the Half Committee used and we already did have a supply of them, but I'd really like it if we could launder that into something more ethical.
The other proposal that came from congress was to mint our own money, which I suppose was an option. Just not one I was so keen on, as it seemed to be more of a nationalistic push by the centrists than any other power bloc. They were so keen on trying to push a unique identity that even both reformists and progressives were giving them odd looks.
Rather, I was eyeing up another solution instead for our woes, something that had the progressives chomping at the bit while the reformists hemmed and hawed. But given I'd given them already Apples to strengthen our local agriculture, and the centrists got Melhof, then it was only right for the progressives to have a turn in the big Committee chair. Though it wouldn't necessarily be them, but a hopefully interested 'friend.'
Assuming that Erica could find a suitable individual to sit on it in time, that was. Or if she was even agreeable to my suggestion when I invited her to have a chat about it.
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The mech pilot casually lit up a fresh cigarette while I was explaining my proposal and puffed on it for a good minute before saying anything. "So you want to adopt the Colonial Scrip as the official currency for your government? I have to say, it'll be nice not needing to play manna exchanger to try and get something from around here."
"Well, one of the official currencies at least." I ducked around the idea of tying the government firmly to the whims of a single megacorp. "Something that we would officially pay all public servants with, issue subsidiaries and grants through, you get the idea."
"You do realize that this will tie you so much closer to Harrison Armory though? After all, they control the value of the scrip."
"Which is why I said 'one of,' not 'the only.'"
Erica snorted and shook her head. "Eh, not my concern," she decided, much to my relief, and found more interest in exhaling a cloud of smoke than the discussion. "Sure, not like I've much reason or ability to say no. The scrip's pretty well adopted in most places where we're present."
"Naturally, as I imagine being able to trade-in the scrip for official time with Harrison Armory printers is a very reliable exchange. Though I do believe that the promise might be somewhat troubled in your current circumstances."
Her brow furrowed. "I'm pretty sure we got some of our printers onboard First to Draw working again. So it's not much a trouble. They could also go a little bit further and head for our sector headquarters," she added. "Or cash it in and receive delivery. We do that now."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, it was some new buy-from-home program I recall being given a brochure on. You can even use the omninet to log onto commissioned sellers and punch in the scrip code to redeem." Erica worked a little sly smirk around the cigarette in her mouth. "All the more reason to trust that the Colonial Scrip isn't something so easily replicated by anybody else. We've got our experts to thank for that."
They sounded like quite the individuals considering how printers could, if fed the right resources, make anything. Did that mean that the currency of the Colonial Legion featured paracasual elements in it? Talk about one heck of a counterfeit measure. 'Any attempts to replicate this currency issued by Harrison Armory will create a miniature black hole' is definitely a deterrence of all time.
Wait, no. That absolutely sounded like a way for GMs to hit players who try to run the money printer scheme. So that tracks.
"Indeed, folks have a lot of trust in the scrip. More so to the point that it's more often used as an intermediary for manna exchanges than it's actual intended purpose of being redeemed for printer time." I brought the conversation back to the matter at hand that Erica had tried to play off. "But say, what if somebody actually wanted to cash it in per say? Go up to the local branch representative, you being, and try to wave the scrip in your face."
"Like I said, I'd direct them to the sector headquarters or official sites."
"But that still might deride trust in the scrip, no?"
"Look, if the Armory promises, Harrison will provide!"
Ah, she got a bit heated there. Maybe I pushed a little too hard. "My apologies, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I'm just merely thinking in terms of relative scale, you see."
Erica leaned back in the chair with an annoyed huff, taking a few seconds to cool off before waving for me to continue. "I understand that on an individual scale, if somebody were to wish to redeem the scrip, Harrison Armory would declare itself willing to go through all reasonable means to honor its word. With how it's the official pay for the vast Colonial Legion, where printer time is especially valuable on developing worlds, they have to be capable of upholding that promise. Or else, well, you get the idea."
"Course I do. And it isn't what we're also currently experiencing with the local troubles in the sector? When the delays for fulfillment kick in due to strained logistics or a difficult environment, then everybody gets a little antsy."
Not unlike how my own were when the internal Half Committee currency suddenly became difficult to issue or bank on. Because they'd lost trust in its perceived value, a devastating occurrence for any sort of currency. It was only because the locals accepted us did they also start including exchanging that old currency as part of the manna system, but I was keen on flushing it out of our local markets all the same.
Yes, it technically was still good so long as my government recognized it. But I was going to treat it like the SecComm bill, in that I was very much eager to avoid the association. If only to dodge the Union-dragon that was a Lancer team coming to beat me up like a piñata that shed those bills every time they hit me. The perception that our state would accept such currency as a method of payment was something I needed to be rid of.
Hence my push to more official megacorp currencies, which was about the only stable other form of hard value here in the Rim. What with the Core Worlds having abolished money and all that, so rich that they could just trade favors instead of money. Ugh.
While I ranted a little in my head, Erica seemed to grow heated once again at my suggestion, but unlike last time where she exploded, it was more focused. A concentrated flame, instead of a rampaging wildfire. "We can hardly control all those delays and issues from rival corporations like IPS-N. Of whom, I would like to remind, your own Vice Admiral Ibutsu is very cozy with."
"I hardly need such a reminder that I did once attend a few parties with the man in attendance. But that's besides the point." I tapped a finger against my desk, a little code that my ever-listening aide picked up on. "Here, look at these figures."
Veronica activated the projector to grace Erica and I with a chart that the NHP had labored to make. Something that she definitely was feeling a little frazzled by, given that this really ought to be a team of experts, hence why she was refraining from speaking today to rest her processors a bit. And why I wanted a Department of Economics to tackle.
The pilot raised an unimpressed eyebrow in response to all that hard work. "So? What am I looking at?"
"Take a look at this line. It shows how the local personal valuation of the Colonial Scrip could fluctuate if ongoing sector troubles haven't yet been resolved, and attempts to cash it in would face unexpected troubles." For the sake of the argument, we were ignoring the idea of using First to Draw's facilities for fulfillment, alongside the idea that the average local wasn't going to hitch a ride to the sector headquarters for Harrison Armory. "Note this point...here. This is when the Cavia Committee would announce investiture in the scrip by adopting it to be an official currency used by our functions."
"Line goes up."
"Because the individual would be reassured that if the local government supports it, then surely it must have a higher perceived value. Which is quite the boon for all the current holders of like, such as yourself."
Erica gave a slow nod. "Yes, which is why I said if you wanted to go for it, do it. Not like I'm giving you any grief about it, just asking why the hell you want me to commit my own energies into the matter."
"Okay, but follow along here. Look at how after this surge in value, it begins to gradually crumble. Assuming that the sector unrest continues without attempts to remedy it." Which was definitely quite the bold condition to remain unchanged, but the idea still stuck as her eyes followed the way it trickled down. "Trust erodes. The scrip crumbles. Then the holders are suddenly left holding a bag of way too much scrip that isn't valued enough here."
"...The line goes down," Erica muttered and bit back what looked to be a bitter curse. "Because if the currency supply keeps flooding in from the official adoption, but you haven't a way to cycle it out, things could go bad."
"Well, it's not necessarily terrible as we could also announce a return to barter. Manna is always good after all. But the scrip would still be perceived quite terribly, which would probably be a rather bad look for Harrison Armory," I hinted. "Something I imagine doesn't look good for the company, and for you by extension."
This time, the curse wasn't held back. "Shit. You've given this actual thought on the outcome and consequences."
"I'm speculated on the matter at least. I'm hardly an economist, and neither is Veronica." The holographic lightly pulsed in a non-verbal acknowledgment of the matter. "This is almost certainly a hypothetical that could very much fluctuate and change. For all I know, your experts have already planned around such a contingency. But I'm guessing that you're not privy to their handling of such a matter."
"Nope." It finally clicked and she turned away from the chart to face me. "Wait, so is that why you want me to lend actual support to this as well?"
"Yes, because I'm sure that if you were to perhaps pull a few internal corporate strings, you could perhaps net us a specialist on Colonial Scrip and its handling from Harrison Armory. Somebody who I could then nominate and see if we can make them the Director of Economics for our state to manage the scrip in circulation." Also to preferably flush out any less than desirable coins in our system while they're at it. "Could you promise me your word in this endeavor?"
"...It's a hell of an ask, especially because you're asking me to also take a hit. I would benefit from a short-term rocket in value," Erica grumbled. "Just that it'd bite me in the long-term if I stay. Which, luckily for you, I look to be."
"And the company image?"
"Fine, sure, guess I could also phrase it that way." She blinked, then gave a look my way. "Ah. You want Harrison Armory to invest even more into your administration, huh? Give you some more backing and spine."
I blinked, because...well, I mean. That wasn't intended. But sure, I guess? Let's play it cool. I think I even see an opportunity here. "Perhaps. I could even be agreeable to perhaps helping mediate contract revisions between the Prynth Mining Union and your company," I placed out that as a lure. "Something like an arrangement that benefits us all."
Because paying out the nose for those materials to compete with a megacorp was expensive. I'd like to bring that down to something more agreeable to all parties, which I'm sure exists as a price point somewhere. Or at least whatever individual Erica could possibly pull could do.