Starport Completed, Banshee Fighter

Warden Roland walked half a step behind Gao Yi, keeping close to his side. Though this was his first time meeting the new Rogue Trader, the combat suit Gao Yi wore and the soldiers around him—all clad in the same gear—made it clear that Gao Yi was no pushover.

He was definitely not some figurehead hastily thrust into the Rogue Trader position, nor the opportunistic usurper the propaganda painted him to be. Roland was now glad he hadn't thrown in with the opposition.

He had no standing to ask about Ludwig's death. All he knew was that his only option now was to meet every demand Gao Yi made.

"It's a blessing that you've inherited the Rogue Trader's seat! The Dynasty is saved! I've done everything you asked—cleared a large enough plot of land, emptied out a hollowed mine, and moved all the ore from the warehouses with the help of those engineering machines you call SCVs. What do you need all this for?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Opening the airlock, Roland suited up in protective gear, but the moment the door swung open, he froze in place.

"This is the D-16 mining zone... I didn't come to the wrong place... By the Golden Throne, how did this building get here?"

Roland saw that the mining zone, which had been completely empty of structures, now housed a colossal building.

The Starport, spanning two square kilometers, had been completed in just two hours under the joint construction of 100 SCVs.

"Roland! Tell all the prisoners to resume mining operations. Anyone who refuses, report them to Steward Veil! That'll save us some rations."

"I... I understand. I'll see to it at once!"

Watching the Starport successfully rise, Gao Yi felt both excitement and a pang of loss.

It had taken 100,000 Psionic Crystals and 5,000 tons of metal to build this Starport. Unfortunately, after using up the crystals, he had less than 40,000 left—otherwise, he could have built a Heavy Factory too.

From this moment on, he had the capability to construct Yamato Warships that could navigate without relying on the Warp.

But this time, Gao Yi wasn't planning to produce a Yamato. Even if he built one, he didn't have enough crew to man it.

What he wanted to produce were Banshee Fighters.

Starport

Viking Fighter: 2 hours/craft, 40 tons metal

Medivac: 2 hours/craft, 40 tons metal

Liberator: 2 hours/craft, 40 tons metal

Raven: 2 hours/craft, 40 tons metal

Banshee Fighter: 2 hours/craft, 40 tons metal

Gorgon-class Yamato Warship: 15 days/ship, 1,000,000 tons metal

Gao Yi could accept any aerial unit from the Starport. Even the Yamato's production cycle was only 15 days, and though a Yamato was only about the size of a Frigate in this universe, that production speed was still like churning out dumplings—except the metal cost was a bit steep.

And right now, Gao Yi couldn't afford to wait 15 days!

Two completed Banshees were already parked nearby.

A steady stream of ore was being fed into the Starport to produce more Banshee Fighters.

"Harlan, what do you think the Rogue Trader wants with us former fighter pilots? From what I know, this Cruiser doesn't have a fighter wing, does it?"

"Who knows? Maybe he wants to form his own fighter squadron? That's not bad for us—it's our specialty, and we'd earn more! Right now we make 100 Throne Cents a month, which is way more than in the Navy! And you saw that battle earlier—following a strong Rogue Trader is a good thing for us.

Have you heard? Apparently we can also try out for the Rangers. If we get selected, our pay and rations double, and we get to wear that combat suit. Just thinking about it gets me excited!

We can't match the Space Marines in physical or combat ability, but maybe this is our chance to turn things around!"

Harlan wasn't worried like the others; he was even a bit excited.

"Money or not, it's all for the Emperor! But still, this will definitely be way more dangerous than our current job! The Rogue Trader isn't like the Navy—back then we'd launch in whole squadrons, covering each other. With just thirty of us, we can barely scrape together one squadron!

I think I can still serve the Emperor a while longer—I'm not ready to return to the Golden Throne yet!"

"Keep your voice down! If an officer hears you talking like that, you'll be punished!"

Veil had found thirty pilots in the Navy who could fly fighters, and he gathered them all together.

With uneasy hearts, these pilots arrived at the assembly point.

Gao Yi was already waiting for them. When the pilots saw that Gao Yi himself had come to meet them, they quickly dropped their playful expressions.

"Captain! We report to you as ordered!"

"Everyone, those who have betrayed the Emperor are ravaging His lands, and the planetary defense turrets on the ground are preventing my soldiers from reinforcing my Capital World."

The pilots exchanged bewildered glances.

"Then why did you call us here..."

"I need you to pilot the fighters and destroy those ground turrets, opening a path for the follow-up forces!"

At Gao Yi's demand, many couldn't help but gasp.

Them, with just this handful of people, break through ground fire and destroy orbital defense turrets?

In their eyes, that was a death sentence... Those anti-air turrets weren't just for show.

"Captain, as soldiers, we are bound to carry out any order you give. We do not fear death—dying for the Emperor is an honor."

But this mission is utterly impossible. Even if you brought the Empire's finest fighter pilots, there's no way thirty people could destroy an entire Hive City's orbital defense grid.

And on top of that, we don't even have fighters!"

Harlan stepped forward first.

"I'm not giving you a suicide mission. I've already prepared the fighters for you. Your objective isn't total destruction—it's to cripple them and strip their ability to fight back. If you survive and complete the mission, your ranks will be raised and your pay doubled."

"We have fighters?"

"Yes."

When Harlan and the other pilots saw the Starport, their jaws dropped. Parked outside were three brand-new Banshee Fighters.

And at that moment, another Banshee Fighter rolled off the production line.

"STC?"

They'd heard of the value of an STC before. To them, it was like a legendary Holy Relic. They never imagined Gao Yi would actually have one!

The matter of the Barracks was kept secret from the ordinary soldiers.

"Captain, what kind of fighter is this? We've never seen anything like it..."

"This fighter is called the Banshee! You have five days to get familiar with it."

Over the course of three days, Harlan and his comrades learned every aspect of the Banshee's operation.

Thanks to their prior experience piloting fighters, they picked it up very quickly.

Every time the Banshee vanished before his eyes, Harlan found it unbelievable.

The Banshee not only turned invisible but also completely disappeared from the Augur Array.

If Harlan hadn't walked up and touched the vanished Banshee with his own hand, he'd have truly thought it was gone.

He had never seen stealth technology like this. And the fighter's power source allowed the Banshee to remain cloaked for two continuous hours.

The Banshee's vertical turbofan engines were also quiet enough to provide ample stealth.

And the embedded Plasteel high-explosive warheads the Banshee carried could, after testing, easily destroy Adamantium armor and the outer hull of warships.

After all, in the stars, this thing could punch through the energy shields of the Protoss and the bio-armor of the Zerg.

The operation was set for two days later, by which time all the required Banshee Fighters would have been produced.

As for the weight and size data in this chapter, I can only make rough estimates. Some figures I just couldn't find. Frustrating.