Warden Roland followed a half-step behind Gao Yi. Though it was his first time meeting Gao Yi, the new Rogue Trader, he knew Gao Yi was exceptionally strong just from the combat suit Gao Yi wore and the identically suited soldiers around him.
He certainly didn't look like some makeshift Rogue Trader put there as a figurehead, and it was nothing like the opportunistic usurper the propaganda described. He was just thankful now that he hadn't thrown in his lot with the opposition faction.
He had no right to question the death of Ludwig. He only knew that everything he could do now was to satisfy Gao Yi's every demand.
"It is truly wonderful that you have inherited the position of Rogue Trader! The Imperium is saved! I have completed everything you asked of me as well. A sufficiently large open space—I had people clear out a hollowed-out mine—and all the ores in the warehouse have also been transported over with the help of those engineering machinery you call SCVs. What do you want all these things for?"
"You will find out soon enough."
Opening the airlock, Roland changed into a set of protective equipment for himself, but the moment he opened the heavy door, he stood frozen in place.
"This is the D-16 mining area... I didn't come to the wrong place... Emperor preserve us, how is there such a building here?"
Roland watched as a massive structure seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the mining area that had previously held no buildings at all.
Covering an area of a full two square kilometers, the starport was completed in just two hours under the joint construction of 100 SCVs.
"Roland! Tell all the prisoners that everyone is to resume mining operations. If anyone refuses, report it to Overseer Veil! It'll save a bit on rations, anyway."
"I... I understand! I'll go see to it right now!"
Seeing the successfully completed starport, Gao Yi felt both excited and distressed.
One hundred thousand psionic crystals plus five thousand tons of metal had been required to build this starport. Unfortunately, less than forty thousand psionic crystals remained after use, or else he could have built another heavy factory.
From this moment on, he had the capability to construct the Yamato Warship, which could sail without the Warp.
However, what Gao Yi was going to produce this time was not the Yamato. Even if he built one, he wouldn't have enough crew members to pilot it.
What he wanted to produce were Banshee Fighters.
Starport
Viking Fighter: 2 hours/unit, 40 tons of metal
Medivac: 2 hours/unit, 40 tons of metal
Liberator: 2 hours/unit, 40 tons of metal
Raven: 2 hours/unit, 40 tons of metal
Banshee Fighter: 2 hours/unit, 40 tons of metal
Gorgon-class Yamato Warship: 15 days/vessel, 1,000,000 tons of metal
Gao Yi could accept all the aerial units available in the starport. Even the production cycle of the Yamato-class was only fifteen days; though the size of the Yamato was roughly comparable to a single Warhammer frigate, this production speed was no different from dumplings dropping into boiling water. It was just that the required metal materials were a bit numerous.
Moreover, Gao Yi couldn't wait fifteen days right now!
Two already-manufactured Banshees were parked not far away.
A steady stream of ore was fed into the starport to produce Banshee Fighters.
"Harlan, why do you suppose the Rogue Trader summoned us former fighter pilots? As far as I know, this cruiser doesn't have a fighter wing, right?"
"Who knows? Maybe he wants to form a fighter wing of his own, too? This does us no harm; this is our specialty to begin with, and this way we can also earn more!
Right now we can pull in a hundred throne cents a month—that pays way better than serving in the navy!
Besides, you all saw the battle earlier. Being able to follow a powerful Rogue Trader is a good thing for us.
Have you heard? It seems we can also participate in the selection for the Rangers. If we get chosen, not only will our pay and living rations double, but we'll also get to wear that combat suit. Just thinking about it gets me excited!
Our physical bodies and combat qualities might not match those of the space marines, but perhaps this is also our chance to turn things around!"
Harlan wasn't worried like the others; if anything, he was rather excited.
"What money or no money—everything for the God-Emperor! Even so, though, the danger level is definitely going to be a lot higher than the gigs we have now! A Rogue Trader isn't like the navy; back then we always deployed in multiple squadrons to cover each other. Our batch of thirty people can barely scrape together enough for a single squadron!
I reckon I can still serve the God-Emperor for a while longer; I'm not ready to return to the Golden Throne just yet!"
"Keep your voice down! If the officers hear you talking like that, watch out for punishment!"
Veil had found thirty pilots capable of piloting starfighters among that batch of naval personnel, and he directly summoned all of them together.
With fluttering hearts, these pilots arrived at the assembly point.
Gao Yi was already waiting for them. Seeing that it was Gao Yi personally receiving them, the pilots immediately put away their playful expressions.
"Captain! We have reported to you as ordered!"
"Gentlemen, those who have forsaken the God-Emperor are running amok and wreaking destruction upon His lands, while those planetary defense cannons on the surface are preventing my soldiers from reinforcing my capital world."
The gathered pilots exchanged glances in silence after hearing this.
"Then you've called us here to..."
"I need you to pilot starfighters and destroy those surface cannons to open a path for the follow-up forces!"
Upon hearing Gao Yi's request, many of them couldn't help crying out in surprise.
With just their small numbers, breach surface firepower and destroy orbital defense batteries?
In their eyes, this was asking them to march to their deaths... Those anti-air batteries were no mere decorations.
"Captain, as soldiers it goes without saying that we will carry out any of your orders, and we do not fear death. To sacrifice for the God-Emperor and die in battle for the God-Emperor is an honor.
Yet this mission has zero possibility of success. Even if you brought the Empire's finest fighter pilots here, it would be impossible for a force of thirty people to destroy the planetary orbital defense installations of an entire hive city!
Furthermore, we don't even have any starfighters!"
Harlan stepped forward first.
"I am not giving you a suicide mission. I have already prepared the starfighters for you. Your mission is not complete destruction, but paralysis—stripping them of their offensive capabilities. As long as you stay alive and complete the mission, your military ranks will be promoted and your benefits doubled!"
"We have starfighters?"
"We do!"
When Harlan and the other pilots laid eyes on the starport, their jaws dropped wide open, and outside the starport sat three brand-new Banshee Fighters.
And right at that moment, yet another Banshee Fighter was produced.
"An STC?"
They had also heard of the value of STCs; things like that were like legendary holy relics to them. They hadn't expected Gao Yi to actually possess such a thing!
The matter of the barracks was kept secret from ordinary soldiers.
"Captain! What kind of starfighter is this? We've never seen a starfighter like this before..."
"This starfighter is called a Banshee! You have five days to familiarize yourselves with this starfighter!"
Over the course of three days, Harlan and his comrades familiarized themselves with all the operations of the Banshee.
Thanks to their past experience piloting starfighters, they grew accustomed to it extremely quickly.
Every time he watched a Banshee vanish right before his eyes, Harlan found it incredible.
While cloaking, the Banshee also completely disappeared from the augur arrays.
If Harlan hadn't walked up and touched the vanished Banshee with his own hands, he would truly have thought the Banshee had simply vanished.
He had never seen such stealth technology, and the energy reserves of this starfighter could also keep the Banshee cloaked continuously for two hours.
The sound of the Banshee fighter's vertical turbine fans was also sufficiently quiet, capable of providing it with adequate stealthiness.
Meanwhile, the embedded plasteel high-explosive warheads carried by the Banshee could also easily shatter adamantium armor and warship hulls after testing.
After all, this contraption could pierce protoss energy shields and zerg biopolymer armor out in the stars.
The execution of this plan was also set for two days later, by which time the required Banshee Fighters would also have finished production.
I can only roughly estimate the weight and size data for this chapter; some data really couldn't be found. How frustrating.
Before you continue