Late Space Year 89 – Early Space Year 90.
After the harrowing tragedy that had claimed Alexander, Aelyzabeth von Thors, a mere girl of twelve, resolved to begin anew with unyielding resolve. She refused to drown in grief; instead, she transmuted sorrow into the fire of determination. Within herself, she discovered an extraordinary gift—mastery of language, eloquence of thought, and the courage to question a world that many adults dared not confront.
Thus, she embarked on writing two books, both of which soon became intellectual phenomena that shook society to its core.
1. The Law of Human Evolution.
This work did not merely question the doctrine of evolution; it proposed an entirely new paradigm that unsettled the academic community. Aelyzabeth wrote with unwavering conviction:
"Mankind is not the culmination of evolution, but the primordial race whose civilization reaches back over three billion years. Apes and other beings are but the by-products of genetic experimentations—errors, or perhaps deliberate divergences."
Though denounced by the scientific orthodoxy as delirium and unscientific fancy, the profundity of her language and the audacity of her challenge rendered the book a subject of discourse in every university across New Hope.
2. The Depravity of Capitalism and Communism.
Here, Aelyzabeth revealed the brilliance of a mind far beyond her twelve years. With piercing examples, she laid bare the suffering wrought by both systems:
Capitalism breeds oppression and inequality.
Communism condemns its people to famine and bondage.
Yet she advanced a "Third Path," unnamed as yet—a system fusing liberty with responsibility, where the gifted may ascend without forsaking the vulnerable.
These writings, within mere months, became a viral storm across the digital ether, debated in councils, in universities, and even within the chambers of political leaders.
Revenue and Investment.
From sales and patronage alike, Aelyzabeth amassed a fortune exceeding 16 million New Hope dollars (approximately 4 million Earth dollars). For a child of twelve, it was nothing short of astonishing. Yet she spurned indulgence. Instead, she invested in what none could have foreseen—
The Arms Factory — The Forge of Hope
Upon the ruins of an abandoned industrial zone, she established a factory, not merely as a site of production but as a sanctuary of labor and training. She transformed the unemployed into master craftsmen, enforcing exacting standards inspired by her Germanic forebears:
"Not merely good—but the very best."
She did not contend with the great corporations of Earth. Instead, she served independent organizations and local militias—those in dire need of superior arms, yet barred from the primary markets by law and political decree.
Her terms were immutable:
Payment in gold only, not Dollar.
Inspection of quality before delivery.
Clients chosen by Aelyzabeth herself, not by the open market.
Her creed, soon emblazoned as the emblem of the forge, was simple yet indomitable:
"If you fight for an ideal, you must wield tools worthy of it."
Returning to the People.
Though the factory yielded vast profit, Aelyzabeth bestowed more than half back onto society:
Supporting hospitals and medical research for the advancement of healing.
Funding border defense projects to secure the safety of New Hope.
Donating to orphanages and educational institutes to forge a brighter future.
Thus was she hailed among the populace as "The Child Who Bore the Future of New Hope."
Yet within the shadows stirred both ally and adversary. Certain politicians whispered of her as a peril to the established order, while to the common people she became an emblem of hope and of change.
Thus ends Chapter B-I