Research Projects

The CF/A-17 Wraith fighter was the mainstay fighter of the Terran Empire in StarCraft.

Tang Xiao also discovered that the CF/A-17 Wraith fighters currently available for research and manufacture were only early models, without Pulse Lasers for ground attacks.

But no matter what, the Wraith fighter was an excellent combat craft capable of fighting both in the atmosphere and in space. It had also proven itself in the wars against the Protoss and Zerg in the story of StarCraft.

Moreover, its later models would be fitted with cloaking systems, becoming truly terrifying killers—stealth fighters!

Although the mothership's technological system belonged to Homeworld, and building Wraith fighters required overcoming the gap between Homeworld's and StarCraft's production technologies and scientific systems, Tang Xiao believed this obstacle had to be overcome!

Since they were both human technological systems, the resources needed to assimilate and analyze the Terran Empire's StarCraft technology should still be within their control.

Seeing that the Administrator had made up his mind, Qi Jian did not press the matter further. As a subordinate, he needed to raise his opinions and concerns, then let Tang Xiao make the decision. All that remained for him now was obedience.

Tang Xiao summoned Daphne Clement and asked, "There should still be Modular Buildings for an Engineering Research Institute in the mothership's warehouse, right? How large are they?"

Clement replied, "Considering the inherent risks of engineering research, as well as the large amount of space required for many experiments, the mothership carries a modular scientific research space station. It can accommodate roughly two hundred experts conducting experiments and research."

"Give the Engineering Department their orders. Have them begin constructing this engineering research space station immediately. Ideally, it should be operational today!" Tang Xiao ordered.

"Yes!"

Tang Xiao opened the mothership's personnel awakening database and began searching for suitable candidates. Among the Elite class, he found three Engineering Experts, awakened them, and summoned them to the bridge.

The three experts consisted of two women and one man, all around thirty to forty years old. Upon seeing Tang Xiao, they bowed respectfully. The leading female expert said, "Greetings, Administrator. My name is Guan Yan, an energy specialist. This is Dr. Feng Yongwang, a Mechanical Expert, and this is Dr. Qu Xuewen, a materials specialist."

Tang Xiao did not stand on ceremony and assigned them their tasks directly. "I need research on two projects to begin simultaneously. One is infrared laser weaponry, and the other is research into this—the CF/A-17 Wraith fighter. List whatever conditions you need, and I'll do my best to meet them."

Guan Yan frowned and thought for a moment. "Research into infrared laser weapons... will require a Physics Laboratory. I'll also need at least twenty people with a Physics Major. But this fighter..."

She handed the data to the male expert. "What do you think, Dr. Feng?"

Feng Yongwang, wearing glasses, examined the Wraith fighter and shook his head slightly. "Many of its technological systems differ from ours. It's not impossible to overcome these difficulties, but it may take considerably longer. Dr. Qu and I can form Group One and begin preliminary preparations. We won't need many people at first—five mechanical specialists will be enough. After that, I'll submit further requests for personnel and materials as needed."

"What about the timeline?" Tang Xiao asked.

"The complete data is right here, so research into infrared laser weapons through practical application should be completed within a month," Dr. Guan Yan replied.

"The Wraith fighter is harder to say. Although the data is complete, analyzing it to the point where we can use and manufacture it will take at least a year. If only an expert from the Master class could lead my team. With more and better talent joining us, our research progress would improve enormously," Feng Yongwang said.

"I'll fully support you with personnel and materials. Start working first. Thank you for your efforts." Tang Xiao nodded.

"Not at all, Administrator. You are the one steering the ship, while we only need to do our jobs well. We should be the ones thanking you." Qu Xuewen was far more tactful, smiling as he spoke to Tang Xiao.

"I'll draw up a list of requirements," Guan Yan said.

No matter where they were, scientific research was an exhausting, labor-intensive activity that devoured both money and time... As he watched the long list of materials continuously appear on the screen, Tang Xiao kept a smile on his face while his heart bled.

The colony had only just begun to show signs of improvement and build up some material reserves, yet with one slap, all of it had been handed over to the research teams.

Outer Rim of the galaxy, Western Reaches, Modell Sector, hyperspace.

"We'll be dropping out of hyperspace soon. Time to wake up, darling," said a human woman piloting a disc-shaped Corellian YT-1000 light spacecraft.

The man dozing in the pilot's seat was around thirty. He shook his head and said, "I'm really starting to miss Corellian foam beer. Once we finish this job, I'm going home for a good sleep. Three days at least."

"The Corellian system isn't a place where people at the bottom like us can live, Kunto. I prefer things the way they are now—free and unrestrained." The woman walked over and kissed her lover on the forehead.

"That damn machine is acting up again!" An angry curse came from the rear cabin, followed by a loud bang. Someone had apparently kicked the machine before a Rodian emerged.

Rodians resembled upright seahorses, with bulging, lidless eyes and straw-like mouthparts protruding from their faces. They were a hunting people. Even after joining the Galactic Republic and entering the space age, many of them still worked as bounty hunters.

"What happened, Spade?" Kunto asked over his shoulder.

"Ah, nothing major. We might just die, that's all. Feraci, you can see the seventh indicator light to your left flashing abnormally, right?" the Rodian said irritably.

The woman turned to look and immediately cried out, "Oh no! The hyperspace diverter isn't responding! How could this happen?!" She hurriedly operated the console in a frenzy, but it was completely useless.

"Well, now all we can do is pray we don't get torn apart when we leave hyperspace." Spade spread his hands and sat on the floor, resigned to his fate.

"The hyperspace diverter protects us from being torn apart by physical phenomena when we exit hyperspace. If it malfunctioned, we shouldn't have been able to initiate a hyperspace jump. So unless we had eight lifetimes' worth of bad luck and it failed during the jump, then it was..." Before Kunto could finish, the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

From the outside, the spacecraft would have appeared in space almost instantaneously, materializing from nothing.

After a violent bout of shaking, they finally stabilized the ship. Looking at the colossal object before them, Kunto muttered, "Then it was deliberate..."

"Spirit of Kalaya... what is that thing?!" Feraci was completely stunned by the horrifying sight before her.

The radar showed a crescent-shaped giant spacecraft slowly orbiting in synchronous orbit around a planet. The ship was so enormous that, looking through the viewport of their YT-1000 light spacecraft, they could see nothing but an endless wall of metal!

Bonus chapter illustration 1: Corellian YT-1000 light freighter

Bonus chapter illustration 2: Rodian