What if Clarke gained a fully equipped Imperial II-class Star Destroyer named Warspite?
Short answerIts assumed equipment could support self-sufficient off-world colonies, alongside the overwhelming military power granted by the scenario.
NotesThe premise gives Clarke a fully equipped Imperial II-class Star Destroyer named Warspite. Its destructive power prompts jokes about world rule, but its carried equipment also offers another possibility. Sealed garrisons with oxygen and food-generating systems could support self-sufficient settlements elsewhere in the solar system. Mars is proposed as an example. This depends on the fictional ship arriving with the equipment and capabilities assumed in the question.