The Deputy Chief Engineer looked at the roaring Chief Engineer, soothed him, and said, "There's nothing in this world that's perfect. It needs firepower, speed, and armor all at once—is that even possible?"
"Impossible."
"Actually, I have an idea."
"I wonder if Director Yang would be interested in hearing it?"
Academician Yang Xing looked at his deputy and said, "Go on."
"Why can't we be like the fleets from the planetary era?"
"In the planetary era, our fleets had destroyers. What was a destroyer? Fast, lightly armored, fierce firepower, and short range."
"Above destroyers were cruisers. Cruisers weren't as fast as destroyers, putting them on the level of frigates. Their range and firepower were greater than a destroyer's, and their armor was stronger too."
"After that came the battleships from our concepts—ships we had never actually built. True overlords of the sea."
"Highly protected, with extremely long-range weapons and slow speed, but able to provide efficient fire support for frontline troops."
The Deputy Chief Engineer continued softly, "Next is the core of a fleet group: the aircraft carrier. Aircraft carriers don't have much firepower, but their fighter planes are formidable, and they can also command frontline troops. So, we can begin with destroyer-class warships, then gradually work toward cruisers, battleships, and finally the colossal aircraft carriers."
"Our most important need right now is a warship that can reach a target quickly and then return."
"It needs protection and high speed, but we can reduce its weapons somewhat."
"Once our technology matures, we can build those large warships."
Academician Yang Xing suddenly saw the light and said, "Excellent, excellent! Our most urgent task now is to hurry and build a fast warship to protect our Mining Spaceships and bases."
Next.
The Warship Development Department of the Imperial Academy of Engineering began