Obviously they turn their slaves into more nanites to build their ships faster.

I would assume they would work to keep the factories supplied with raw recourses or doing non essential tasks that free up Vasari workers to do more productive tasks.

Its a little known fact, but the Vasari actually found out eons ago that mano-technology was impossible - the forces involved destroyed any nanotech they built within seconds.

However, not to be deterred, Vasari scientists decided to exploit people instead (as is their wont) and set about creating a powerful shrinking device. Because people were pre-made, they worked much better at nano-size, and with mind altering microdrugs could be controlled easily.

Now, normally, the Vasari need volunteers or criminals to shrink to become their nanotech. However, with slave labor this is no longer necessary! Every Tom, Dick and Harry can be shrunk to the size of a dust mite, vastly increasing the nanotech resources they have for ship building.

This is, of course, also the reason that the Vasari have lost a lot of their planets and most of the Dark Fleet. Tiny, tiny revolutions.

If I could posrep you, I would do it a thousand times over. That made my morning.

I think what Sp3ktr3 said makes the most sense out of the lot. Using people, to make nanites would then be cost effective.

Let take two cases then, one in which a mine is mined with slaves and one with nanites. In the case of the slaves, resources would have to go to first getting the slaves, and then feed them, give them tools, and keep a guard system, to keep them as slaves. This would cost a lot to start and keep going. The second would be to turn the people into a nanite paste(not nano bots, but works all the same). You would just have to get the slaves, and turn them into nano paste, which would cost less.

But this brings up another question. If we are just "slaves harvesting", then why don't we just call it slave harvesting.

Yes that my point, why are they using slave labor, when automated machinery would be more cost effective. The only reason I could think of, was a lack of tech (which does not make since, as the Vasari are the most advance race), or they use the people as nano paste.

This game has lore? What?

Surely, if you are wanting to pick holes in the gameplay\lore connection,the better question would be:

Why do the Vasari have credits at all?

In general the Vasari would have no need for any form of currency, Firstly, If we assume that their nano-tech is at a sufficiently high level to single handedly construct starships, then it could almost certainly be used to create any inorganic good, as such the chains that a monetary economy requires wouldn't exist, you would simply have the vasari in power who control the nanites and then everybody else.

Secondly, if I were running from the annihilation of my entire race, the last thing on my mind would be whether i got paid or not, especially if I were already intrinsically part of a ruling class.

Thirdly, the case could be made that it is the Vasari integrating themselves into the local galactic economy, but this ignores the fact that all the Vasari are after is the planetary resources, everything else is incidental (even if said resources includes slaves).

In space maybe, on the planet surface not so much. Humans are a lot cheaper to use on the planet, as they require less maintenance and less energy to use Even less energy if you don't feed them

Plus doing nano assembly in an atmosphere is probably not possible.

Also while Vasari know nano technology, they do not know advanced robotics. Only Advent know that, since they can control the robots/androids using psychic powers. Vasari do not have such powers, as far as I know.

Surely thats the point though, there is nobody making a product, the nanites do it so no person is doing anything worthy of being rewarded, unless your suggesting they pay their slaves.

and additionaly that requires there to be justification for credits being a reward, even if you want take it to a basic level then the reward would be in raw materials (for you to use with nanites to make what ever you desired).

I doubt civilians would have access to nanites in everyday society. Luxuries would likely still be bought for credits, even if they were manufactured with nanotech, still contributing to culture and commerce.

And then you get to lack of initiative. If everyone has everything they want, why bother doing your job if you're not a soldier? You've got nothing to lose unless you're threatened. And I doubt the Vasari are willing to threaten eachother with a potential extinction chasing after them.

Basically, if they didn't have an economy, they...well...wouldn't have an economy.

Maybe they disassemble the slaves at the molecular level using the nanites and reassemble them as ship parts.

On the credits and slaves question, it says that after the vasari became bogged down against the TEC, they assumed many of the trappings of their civilization. Remember that the planets you control are nominally human populated, so keeping the planetside economy similar to the tec one makes sense, especially given their managerial practice of just letting the planets be as long as they pay their taxes. I see slave labor researches as getting the infrastrucure set up for such a relatively desperate move, and the savings from enslaving everybody are represented by the boosts to your economy. So no, it makes perfect sense in the lore. They're merely using a more aggressive theme on their method of 'coercing' a planet to give them the resources they need. Makes perfect sense in the lore to me. Plus, space is a much simpler environment for the nanites to work in, making mining nanites'd be pretty expensive and also require more vasari to oversee, which are a precious resource to them, without giving the added efficiency of switching to forced labor. I think that explains both apparent disconnects.

Also, who said they aren't using nanites to control the slaves because it's easier than making nanites. They don't have to fight gravity with a proportionally huge payload or seek out the good stuff in a very data-rich environment, and remember that making stuff out of atoms makes it hard to incorporate complexity, which is notably lacking from their nanites (except the carrier's passive ability, but that's just too awesome to pass up making) Other than that, they all have a very simple task, and if they're executed right, you can make the stuff relatively.

For example, the ability that damages an enemy ship over time and sends the health back can be accomplished by creating a molecule that can bond with armor and reverses magnetic polarity when it does so. Hit them with a beam of magnetism that shoots them at the ship, they eat hull, and get beamed back by the same beam that hit them, and are then used to repair the ship. Not that hard. Mining, on the other hand is a nightmare if you actually want to make it efficient.