I still remember how perplexed our scientist were about the hyperlane network.
The network was incredible easy to map and it was discovered that it connected exactly one thousand systems.
Countless other stars existed but they were as good as unreachable in a reasonable timeframe.
The map we started using from that day on only shows systems connected to the network.
I cut all funding to STL probe exploration on that day.
Some astronomers monitor unconnected stars for signs of supernova activity but apart from that we ignore them.
Early in my reign I focused on the expansion of the mining industry on Aro.
Thanks to our robots a lack of a labor force was never a problem.
Signs of ancient xeno powers were discovered just one jump from Aro.
I ordered the construction of even more science ships when I read these reports.
Shortly afterwards we established contact with a space station under the control of ancient and advanced xenos.
They offered sharing their arts and culture with us but at that time I could not spare the funds.
There was however the male problem.
I tried me best to give promising male savants a chance but more often than not they disappointed me.
That was not the main problem however and in time some savant males would became incredible good scientists, governors and admirals.
The main problem was the lack of volunteers for our colonization project.
No matter what I tried we did not get enough males to form a proper male pack.
I guess it will be distant history for the people reading my memoirs but my mother lived through the horrible wars caused by the mixed pack extremists.
No Kettu stays completely sane if he or she spends too much time near members of the other gender.
Even worse Kettu which grow up with members of the other gender turn into bloodthirsty abominations.
Only the invention of remote work allowed the cooperation of males and females outside of mating season.
Most males had not interest in abandoning their pleasant lives full of art, hunt and contemplation.
In the end I gave up and ordered our scientists to focus their research on artificial intelligence.
My plan from that day on was to establish mining colonies in other systems without the help of the males.
I knew that we needed a strong economy to survive.
We had made first contact with another star empire.