Chapter 32: Lesson One

31. Lesson One

The screen before him displayed video footage of that asymmetric dogfight. One could see the three bounty hunter ships moving through the Fourth Civilization's fleet as if they were in an uninhabited zone. The basic electromagnetic cannons of the Blade-class fighters were incapable of damaging their shields; even when equipped with infrared laser weapons, the insufficient power only caused a slight ripple on the shield surfaces.

In contrast, the turbo laser cannons and blaster cannons of those three ships were absolute one-shot kills against the Blade fighters! Thirty-four fighters were destroyed, and thirty-four pilots were killed in action; four transport ships were destroyed, with eight crew members lost. This meant they didn't even have a chance to escape!

"It wasn't until later that the visiting Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, stepped in to help. Their piloting skills were superb; using just a single ship, they managed to shoot down all three of the bounty hunters' vessels. After that, they left immediately," Clement explained from the side.

Watching this brutal battle, Tang Xiao clenched his teeth, his heart filled with rage. Influenced by his Force, the small objects surrounding him began to tremble, as if a minor earthquake were occurring.

As the video ended, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Call Feng Yongwang and Guan Yan here."

Once the two scientists arrived, he asked directly, "At the current pace, how much longer will it take to successfully develop the Ghost fighter?"

"We are gradually accelerating the progress. Since the two elite-level computer and engine experts joined, our pace has increased further, but I estimate it will still take about six months," Feng Yongwang said. He glanced at the video, gritted his teeth, and added, "We will do our utmost, working overtime and even without sleep to complete the development."

"Haste makes waste. You should balance work and rest and complete the research at a normal pace. I do not want errors caused by fatigue during the research process; that would be catastrophic," Tang Xiao said, before turning to Guan Yan. "Next, I need you to lead your team in two areas of work."

"Please tell us," Guan Yan replied with a nod.

"First, the small space dock should be completed by now. I need at least one usable light frigate to enter our production line. Second, during this interim period, we need to further squeeze the potential of the Blade-class fighters to maximize their combat effectiveness," Tang Xiao said.

Guan Yan nodded. "Regarding the second point, we already have a plan. Dr. Feng, please explain."

Feng Yongwang nodded and said, "We are currently performing analysis on the Ghost fighter's weapon systems, which should be completed soon. The Ghost's primary combat weapon is the Gemini missile, an excellent air-to-air missile. Once the analysis is complete, I will hand the results to Dr. Guan's team to install these missiles on the Blade fighters."

Guan Yan continued, "Furthermore, we are researching basic energy shields and small nuclear fusion engines. The technology in these areas is relatively mature and should be applicable soon. At that time, the energy supply for the Blade fighters will increase by a grade, allowing for a corresponding increase in the power of the infrared laser cannons. Additionally, equipping basic energy shields will give the fighters wings like a tiger. However..."

"Go ahead. Tell me what the difficulties are, and I will try my best to resolve them," Tang Xiao said with a nod.

"We lack manpower. Our team no longer has the capacity to take on more research projects. Currently, the team analyzing the light frigate consists of only six people, which is far from enough. But increasing personnel requires more laboratories, experimental equipment, and facilities, all of which take time to build," Guan Yan said.

"I will do my best to meet your needs regarding manpower and facilities. Let's talk about the frigate issue first," Tang Xiao said.

"There are currently two types of basic light frigates to choose from: the Knight-class light frigate and the Hammer-class frigate. The former is 28.5 meters long and is a versatile frigate with acceptable levels of firepower, speed, and armor. The Hammer-class is 31.4 meters long and focuses more on armored protection and firepower. If we want to manufacture other frigate-class ships from the technology library, it will require more time for technical integration," Guan Yan answered.

"Discard the Knight-class. Proceed directly with the analysis of the Hammer-class frigate. Put other technological systems on hold; we will consider them when we have more teams," Tang Xiao decided decisively.

"Understood. Then, Administrator, we shall leave the matters of personnel and experimental facilities to your care," Guan Yan said before withdrawing with Feng Yongwang.

Tang Xiao closed his eyes in meditation for a while, then opened them and said to Qi Jian, "Regarding the captured YV-865 Oro-class freighter, arrange for personnel to undergo training as soon as possible to produce a crew to pilot it. Or, see if there are any elite pilots available to be awakened."

"Yes," Qi Jian immediately agreed. "Additionally, engineering ships are already being arranged to recover the wreckage of those three bounty hunter ships. So far, we have recovered two functional turbo laser cannons. I plan to install these two cannons onto a transport ship to use as a gunboat, to somewhat enhance our firepower."

"You did well, Qi Jian. You did your best, and this is not your fault. We didn't expect to be found so quickly after arriving here. Without combat preparations being complete, this was the only option," Tang Xiao said.

"No... Administrator, this is my fault. I shouldn't have let our fighters engage the pirates head-on... I sent them to their deaths..." Qi Jian was incredibly depressed, his body trembling.

Tang Xiao walked over and patted his shoulder. "Perhaps we will face even more tragic sacrifices in the future, but this is the path we must walk. Grow together, Qi Jian; this is our first lesson. More challenges await us. Perhaps today, because of one of your orders, dozens of people sacrificed themselves, but perhaps one day, thousands will die for a single word from us. This is our path. Treating human lives as numbers is both a mockery and a necessity."

Tang Xiao opened the personnel list and found that many pilots were already on standby within the elite class; these were all highly trained, excellent pilots.

However, he couldn't use so many just yet; it would be a waste of talent to have them piloting Blade fighters. He only awakened one to pilot the YV-865 Oro-class freighter: a Black female pilot named Glory Judith.

Why a female pilot, and a Black one with such a beautiful name? It wasn't that Tang Xiao had suddenly developed a specific preference, but rather because...

This woman was a total tank! Looking at her data: 1.92 meters tall, 172 kilograms, and not obese—meaning she was pure muscle! Combined with her hobby of brutally dominating people in flight simulations and then dragging them to a fighting ring to dominate them again...

Tang Xiao decided on the spot that he could eventually pair Judith and Quinto into one group. If Quinto had any little schemes, Judith would likely beat him until even his mother wouldn't recognize him.