Xyrin Empire-Chapter 1381: Scientists Have Power
Acceptance of new spacecraft is a critical matter, and since this is a project personally overseen by Sandora and me, it requires us to physically inspect it during the acceptance. So after breakfast, I left the boisterous Divine Clan officers aside and went to Shadow Space with Sandora, who was in high spirits.
The new spacecraft was assembled on a high orbit on the backside of Mother Star Gaia—I usually refer to the side facing Shadow City as the front—a place where Taville has established a medium-sized starport specifically for constructing various experimental space facilities. When Sandora and I arrived here, Taville was still directing his team in the final system adjustments and initial energy injection for the new spacecraft. We stood at the top of Tower A-2 of the starport facing outer space; here we had an open observation hall. Through the transparent barrier of the observation hall, we could see two long silver-gray alloy "bridges," extending from the starport’s main structure below, straight into outer space. The bridges also had numerous metal or beam "skeletal structures" extending, making them look like strangely shaped multi-legged arthropods—this was a variable-type ship dock, presumably used to secure the new spacecraft. However, in the middle of this ship dock, all I saw was a dark empty space, with nothing there.
"The new spacecraft is temporarily shielded by an invisibility field; the team hopes this will create a surprising effect." Taville’s... I don’t know which number replica came up behind me and said with pride, "Once the final adjustments are complete, the two majesties will be able to see it. It’s quite a beauty."
I twitched my lips, thinking to myself, isn’t it just a coffin? I once saw the sketch of the new spacecraft in Sandora’s room, this coffin-obsessed bespectacled young lady’s only progress in design was turning one coffin into two parallel coffins. However, seeing Taville’s happy expression, I didn’t have the heart to say it outright.
"Once the new spacecraft passes acceptance, it can go directly into production," Sandora said without turning her head, "Also, make sure to quickly handle the technology on the new spacecraft that has universal value for a large-scale authorized upgrade of the existing Imperial starships."
Taville’s mass projection returned a military salute: "Yes, Majesty, it’s already underway."
Sandora mentioned "authorized upgrades" and the renewal of Imperial starships, which is something I’ve had quite a bit of contact with, so it’s better to explain this seemingly high-tech term.
We all know that the Xyrin Empire has numerous items that have been in service for millions, even tens of millions of years. A starship series might have been active on the battlefield for longer than many races’ civilization cycles, like Eternal-class Battleships. They’ve been in service since the expansion period of the Old Empire up until now and are still one of the most important main battlecruisers in the Imperial Army—this can easily give the wrong impression that all Imperial weapons are antiques and haven’t been upgraded over the years.
Actually, quite the opposite; the Imperial Army’s equipment not only gets upgraded, but the extent of progress can reach an unthinkable level, with almost new equipment being deployed to frontline troops every moment. However, after surpassing the phase where the usefulness is restricted by form, the Empire’s military technology experts no longer make sweeping reforms on the war machines’ shells. Instead, they conduct subtle yet continuous "micro-adjustment upgrades," using small technological breakthroughs to improve spacecraft, culminating in a major upgrade when new technology accumulates to a flashpoint. Eternal-class Starships may look unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years, but their main structure is fully updated every thirty to fifty years, and this complete update is divided into tens of thousands of times to accomplish.
And each update is simultaneously carried out for all units across the Empire.
This method of upgrading equipment may sound insane, like an unrealistic setting. In the real world, no normal logistics system could support this kind of replacement plan: developing a new type of screw requires running everywhere to equip all national equipment, and then repeating this every two or three days—it would drive the logistics minister mad.
Therefore, the Xyrin Apostles established an extraordinary, abnormal "logistics" system. They use something called the "authorized upgrade protocol" to conduct ultra-fast routine updates for their army.
The activation mechanism of this "authorized upgrade protocol" is extremely complex, and its manual weighs several pounds. We only need to understand its general process: firstly, this protocol is established on two premises: the Xyrin Apostles’ Other Space storage and connection technology, and the "information-matter" transformation production module housed by medium to large war units. These two technologies are the foundations for conducting "authorized upgrades".
The first step in "authorized upgrades" is naturally the work of various levels of R&D departments. Military experts design new war machines, or smaller components on those war machines. Any slight technical advancement can serve as a "unit" for authorized upgrades, even if the unit is just a new model of spacecraft seat. This upgradeable new "unit" is designed and produced as a sample by technicians, and after passing acceptance, the senior R&D group makes judgments. If it’s a new independent equipment model, the blueprint is sent to various arsenals for routine production; if it’s a component of an existing device and meets certain "criteria," then an "authorized upgrade" is performed.
All the information about the new model component, including production technology, technical specifications, replacement procedures, etc., is meticulously packed into a "data packet," uploaded to the Imperial Data Network, and instantly synchronized and downloaded to every Imperial starship or military base across the Empire. The terminal downloading this data packet can even be as small as just a troop transport or a deep-space observation station with only dozens of personnel stationed. As long as this local station has a set of "information-matter" transformation production modules, it’s good. And as we all know, building arsenals on one’s own spacecraft is a good habit of Xyrin Apostles, and the Empire’s "information is everything" technology enables these arsenals to create almost anything with the plans...
Thus, these terminals downloading the packet can manufacture new parts in a short time, and autonomous machines also downloading the installation tutorials can finish the replacement in almost no time. All equipment has operation space prepared for this kind of replacement, and even a reactor running at full power can be replaced with a new buffer chamber without stopping operation. For the "information-matter" transformation production module, common difficulties like manufacturing process issues don’t exist; as long as there is precise enough information description, manufacturing a piece of armor and manufacturing a starship mainframe in the Empire’s factories practically has the same difficulty.
The only restrictions on its production process are each local factory’s "permissions," and the "authorized upgrade" in "authorization" refers to this step of permission certification and transfer.
For those more basic units without production modules, such as an ordinary Imperial Soldier’s rifle needing an upgrade to a new model trigger—of course, it’s impossible for an Imperial Soldier to carry an arsenal with them, so their equipment upgrades utilize Other Space storage and connection technology. Everyone knows the Imperial soldiers’ weapons and equipment are stored in Personal Space, and this Personal Space can actually be opened by others under specific circumstances, like the soldier’s direct superior. Personal Space isn’t really like a pocket constantly by one’s side; it’s an independent, universe-separate, large warehouse established by the Superior Space Allocation Headquarters. The Space Allocation Headquarters creates this super huge "warehouse," then divides it into countless small areas, much like folders on a hard drive, and what each soldier gets is actually access codes to one of these folders, or rather, the virtual path and access password for this space. As long as you master this access code, you can open Other Space at any universe, any coordinate. Moreover, using these access codes, you can also link all Other Spaces together, for instance—the arsenal.
Once authorized upgrades begin, soldiers just need to place their equipment into Other Space, and their superior officer connects this equipment to a general upgrade center, which usually directly links to the closest arsenal through direct information modification. In an extremely short time, this equipment will complete its upgrade, so when the soldier retrieves the equipment next, it’s already an upgrade-enhanced model. If it’s a fairly large improvement, this Imperial Soldier will also simultaneously download a "weapon learning tutorial" authorized by the Imperial Supreme Command. After one to two seconds of learning, they can proficiently handle their new weapon, and joyfully use that more powerful lethal device to crack open someone’s skull.
This is the entire process of the "authorized upgrade protocol": R&D departments conduct research, create data packets containing blueprints and other information, along with authorization letters and tutorials issued to all Imperial units. Each of these units’ war machines can produce parts on-site and accomplish the replacement, or through Other Space arsenals perform replacements for their lower-level units. An authorized upgrade can be completed in as fast as thirty minutes—now you know what the insane development model is?
If the Supreme Research Institute develops a new type of cannon, then as fast as thirty minutes later, every starship across the Empire capable of fitting such a cannon can position its still warm muzzle right on the enemy’s head—all of which are produced on-site!
Of course, the "authorized upgrade protocol" isn’t omnipotent; it can only apply to routine upgrade projects. For components exceeding basic unit production capacity (such as a new model of the Galaxy Main Gun), or projects with special production requirements and resource needs (for instance, requiring Source Energy Ore, something that can’t be manufactured using "information-matter" transformation technology), regular methods must be used, produced at the dedicated inland production base, and incrementally replaced—these generally belong to large-scale replacements, which might take several years, even decades to conduct once. For usual small-scale upgrades, swapping a cannon seat or replacing armor and the like, the "authorized upgrade protocol" is completely sufficient.
Hm, didn’t expect explaining "authorized upgrades" to be so troublesome...
At this time, Taville’s assistant team finally completed the debugging of the sample spacecraft, and the starport mainframe’s steady broadcast sounded in the observation hall: "Attention, Dock Two, evacuate passage unobstructed, all B-level workgroups leave dock within one minute, all B-level workgroups leave dock within one minute. A-level workgroups check the status of initial energy injection."
"Initial energy injection at seventy-five percent, target value reached, A-level workgroups evacuate dock, site taken over by autonomous machines."
"Connecting to verification-type starship, the current starship is in external takeover mode, detecting the operational status of all systems."
"Energy system normal, security assurance system normal, core control system normal, power unit activation... normal, armor enhancement system activation... normal, shield activation... normal, weapon group normal... communication array activation... normal, starting verification of device chain links 1 to 36... all links online, activation normal, response normal. Confirming all necessary equipment is online, core preheating complete, emergency stop components responding normally, exiting self-check program."
"Activate verification-type starship mainframe—external activation... mainframe activated. Hello, starship, this is the starport."
"Hello, starport, this is the unnumbered starship. The system has awakened and is operating well."
"Starship, the Emperor himself will inspect you. Good luck, long live the Empire."
"The starship is honored, long live the Empire."
The starport mainframe disconnected from the external control of the new spaceship. From this moment, the newly awakened starship mainframe officially took control of the spaceship. Simultaneously, under Taville’s command, the shipyard lifted the spaceship’s invisibility camouflage.
As the water-film-like invisibility field quickly faded, a colossal silver-gray object appeared before Sandora and me.
Elegant, magnificent, perfect like a work of art—it’s not coffin-shaped!
A set of holographic images appeared before us, showing the details of the new spaceship from various angles so that Sandora and I could see every corner. The holographic projection also displayed various parameters of the spaceship, but I only noticed its size: 6.2 kilometers. In the Imperial Battleship family that generally goes for a giant path, it’s considered a small fry, much larger than small ships but likely the lightest among medium-sized starships. But since this is a brand new special battleship, there’s no need to scrutinize its scale too deeply.
It retained the basic structure I saw in Sandora’s room in the sketch, a catamaran with two main bodies parallel, but the ship’s parts discarded the angular cuboid design, replaced by streamlined shells, like two extremely elongated rugby balls. These streamlined shells only covered the upper half, with the lower half seemingly exposed but additionally protected by a layer of dense translucent shield: I believe that would be more solid than the armored parts. Through the translucent lower shield, you could see the deep black structure inside and the web-like pulsating blue energy flow, all converging toward the middle of the hull, forming two dazzling blue halos beneath the catamaran.
Connecting the two streamlined ship bodies were a series of arc-shaped "bridge arches" located at the midsection and rear. These arches had elegant lines, like the curved neck of a swan, with golden stripes embedded on their silver-gray armor shells. Based on the consistent style of the Xyrin Apostle, those stripes are definitely not decorative, but whatever their purpose, they make this swan-like streamlined catamaran starship look as perfect as a work of art in space.
Staring dumbfounded at this new-style spaceship, my initial reaction was that I no longer needed to tour Taville’s lab with the mindset of visiting a martyr’s cemetery. My second reaction was to pat the arm of the spectacled girl next to me: "This design... wasn’t your idea, was it?"
Taville’s face rarely showed an embarrassed expression: "Indeed, Your Majesty, after listening to your... teachings, I realized that my aesthetic sense might be a little rigid, but I was struggling to find more design inspiration, so I asked Lady Lilina for some advice. I often hear you mention your fondness for the elegant lines of the Divine Race’s architecture, so I guessed her concept might please you..."
I was instantly all smiles, thinking that the curious gothic loli who always caused trouble could also do something right. I connected to Lilina’s spiritual link, intending to praise her. First, I reported my side’s ship inspection situation, then with a big smile, asked: "Lilina, you helped improve the new ship’s design, didn’t you? Where did you get the inspiration? It looks pretty good."
Lilina, finally getting praised, sounded particularly excited and jubilantly replied: "The connecting bridges are modeled after ribs, and the hull is an elongated kidney..."
Me: "..."
"Your Majesty?" Taville, seeing my lack of response, couldn’t help but speak up.
I mentally wept, hung up the communication, and smacked my forehead with my fist: "Forget what just happened, forget what just happened..."
Sandora also overheard my conversation with Lilina. However, she didn’t show any signs of her dreams being shattered but instead looked at the spaceship outside the observation window and gulped: "Taville, let’s begin, starting with the weapon system display."
"Yes, you will be satisfied with its new attack methods."
The new spaceship on the shipyard silently floated upwards and quickly advanced a few kilometers from the starport, deftly pivoting to face the A-2 tower. I couldn’t see where this vessel’s propulsion unit was located, so it probably skipped the external engines, using that high-end class coordinate engine as its main propulsion.
Meanwhile, an enormous ball designed as a target was also deployed into outer space and was pushed to over ten kilometers away in the blink of an eye—since now, it’s only about verifying the power and operational stability of the new weapons, range verification is for later.
When the attack command was issued, the new spaceship didn’t fire from the front as I imagined. Instead, it was instantly enveloped in a giant dark, twisted sphere, disappearing in a blink from outer space. Simultaneously, the target vanished like it was erased with a rubber, then that nearly seven-kilometer-diameter black sphere reappeared, but it was already several kilometers away from where it disappeared. The sphere receded, and the spaceship reappeared in front of us.
"I designed a new firing procedure for it," Taville said with a smile, "It’s more like an assassin now. As for that sphere... we owe it to Orelia’s technical guidance; it’s a Shadow Field." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
