"Mom, I really wanna go home... If this is actually Star Wars, we don't stand a chance against that terrifying Death Star..." Tang Xiao covered his face and fell silent. The initial excitement of having a mothership from his favorite game had quickly faded.
"Alright, Qi Jian, Chief of Staff - help me figure out what kind of defensive power we're working with here." Tang Xiao pulled himself together, deciding to at least try to make the best of this situation.
Qi Jian immediately stepped into his role, answering confidently, "We have 5 Arrow-type reconnaissance ships and 5 Blade-type light fighters."
Tang Xiao maintained a polite smile as he stared at him. After an awkward silence lasting over ten seconds, he smiled again and said, "Go on, I'm waiting."
"That's... all we have."
Now genuinely alarmed, Tang Xiao jumped up like his chair was on fire, practically shouting, "Are you kidding me? This massive mothership with 650,000 people only has 5 recon ships and 5 fighters for protection?!"
Qi Jian, who'd just gotten his new position, flinched at the unexpected outburst and quickly lowered his head. "I apologize, Administrator. All the navigation logs have vanished, so I have no idea what happened during previous journeys. The fact is these are literally the only ships we have for defense."
"Central brain, pull up the specs. I want to see what kind of reconnaissance and fighter ships could possibly protect a mothership this size. At the very least, we're talking about something like an infinite Destiny Gundam, right?" Tang Xiao sat back down with a sigh.
On the holographic display, a crude, ugly triangular spacecraft appeared. The central brain's voice followed: [This is the Arrow-type reconnaissance vessel, 9.5 meters in length. It has no hyperspace jump capability and cannot operate in atmosphere. Maximum cruising speed is 1,000 meters per second, equipped with two basic electromagnetic cannons. Due to space constraints from the afterburner chamber, both cannons are positioned on the left side of the hull, with limited ammunition capacity.]
The display switched to a slightly bulkier spacecraft - a rectangular body with the cockpit jutting out on the right side and two six-barreled electromagnetic cannons mounted in the middle. The central brain continued: [This is the Blade-type light fighter, 7.4 meters in length. It has no hyperspace jump capability and cannot operate in atmosphere. Maximum cruising speed is 857 meters per second, with two six-barreled electromagnetic cannons.]
Tang Xiao collapsed to the floor with a thud... ORZ
"Administrator! Are you okay?" Qi Jian rushed over to help him up but hesitated to actually touch him.
Tang Xiao took a moment to collect himself, then cleared his throat and said, "So aside from these two utterly useless pieces of junk, we basically have zero defense, right?"
"Don't worry, Administrator! Our database contains extremely comprehensive ship data!" Qi Jian reassured him, his voice carrying a hint of pride. "Don't you remember? You gave us this supreme honor, allowing us to board this unparalleled mothership!"
"Central brain, what exactly do we have in this database?" Tang Xiao turned to ask.
[The database contains extensive ship data, including giant motherships exceeding 74,000 meters in length. However, building these vessels requires more than just data - our scientific research department must convert this information into production capability, which demands significant time and resources.]
Tang Xiao's heart raced as he quickly asked, "Show me what ships we have."
A flood of data entries immediately filled the screen before him, almost too much to process. Among them were not just spaceships but also various technical data covering civilian, social, cultural technologies, and more.
This piqued his curiosity. He distinctly remembered that Homeworld - the game - didn't have nearly this many ships. Even counting the entire Homeworld series, there would be no more than a hundred types at most. So where did all these cosmic projects come from?
Just then, some familiar names caught Tang Xiao's eye...
Wait a minute... Raven-class battleship? Minotaur-class battle cruiser? Kohl-class battle cruiser? Orion-class assault carrier? Endless-class super mothership? As these familiar names and designs flashed by, Tang Xiao's jaw dropped lower and lower, almost hitting the floor.
"What the hell is going on here? This incredible database... Did it somehow compile data from every space sci-fi game ever made?" Tang Xiao muttered in disbelief.
[To be precise, it's from the systems of the games the author has played...&&*%$#%$# System error *(^%$$, repair complete.] The central brain suddenly emitted strange static noise, then said, [These data have always been in the database, no additional information available.]
"Wait! The one over 74,000 meters... Could it be?" Tang Xiao suddenly had a realization and quickly searched through the list. Sure enough, a beautifully designed golden battleship appeared before him. "The... the Spear of Adun? Holy crap, it really is the Spear of Adun!! The Protoss arkship from StarCraft!"
[Yes, this vessel is designated as the Spear of Adun, with a length of 74,550 meters.]
"Then let's build it! Let's build a Spear of Adun! With that baby, we'd never have to worry about security again!" Tang Xiao shouted excitedly.
[Currently, construction of the Spear of Adun is impossible. Even with adequate workforce and resources, the massive technological gap would prevent us from constructing even a single component. We must wait for our scientific research department to analyze and adapt the Spear of Adun's specifications before any production could begin.]
Tang Xiao let out a bitter laugh, quickly realizing this outcome was predictable. "Yeah, I should've known. Protoss tech is completely different from ours - building something like that is just fantasy at this point."
"Administrator, what is 'Protoss'?" Qi Jian asked, clearly confused.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. Just filter out these unrealistic projects and show me what ships we can actually build right now." Tang Xiao waved his hand dismissively.
[The onboard production facility can only manufacture Arrow-type reconnaissance ships, Blade-type light fighters, and small transport vessels capable of ferrying goods between planets and the mothership. To construct larger ships, we would need to build a proper space dock. However, there are some production processes and technologies that are relatively compatible with our current capabilities, and the research department should be able to complete analysis on these soon. Would you like me to list them?]
"Forget it. We don't have the facilities or resources for research right now," Tang Xiao shook his head and shifted back into management mode. He turned to the staff, "Has anyone inventoried our supplies yet?"
"Yes, they've been catalogued as the central brain mentioned. Our inventory is well below the critical threshold," a female staff member replied. "The agriculture department just reported that most crops in the hydroponic chambers have already withered. Our best option is to land as soon as possible and try to find food on the planet."
"Qi Jian, arrange for production of 5 more Arrow reconnaissance ships and 20 Blade fighters. Wake up 20 pilots to ensure basic protection of the mothership. Then send a transport down to scout Leeming Star, find a suitable landing site, and wake up 50 marines to stand by."
"Yes sir!" Qi Jian snapped a salute and immediately got to work.
"One more thing," Tang Xiao thought for a moment, then called Qi Jian back. "This is the starting point of our journey in this strange universe. From now on, we'll name this habitable planet 'Leeming Star.' This will be our new home!"
"Yes! Leeming Star! Our new home!" Qi Jian responded with genuine excitement, offering another crisp salute.
Everyone else on the bridge immediately stood and saluted before breaking into applause, each face showing excitement and hope.
As he watched the cheering crew, Tang Xiao sighed, unable to share their joy. He felt like a hollow shell as he slumped back into his seat. His mind drifted to his past life... his family... his father, mother, girlfriend...
After the initial excitement wore off, his emotions crashed. Despite being surrounded by a jubilant command center, he felt completely out of place, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of loneliness.
If he could choose, he'd gladly give up this mothership, those fancy databases, forget all about the Spear of Adun—he just wanted to go home! Back to Earth in the 21st century!
Maybe nothing exciting ever happened back home, maybe nobody came running when he called out, but it was safe, warm, and at least he didn't have to worry about a Death Star showing up out of nowhere to blast him into oblivion.
Ignoring the bustling activity on the bridge, Tang Xiao stood up quietly and followed the central brain's directions back to the luxurious quarters designated for the Administrator. He threw himself onto the soft velvet bed, tears streaming down his face.
Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, desperately hoping that when he woke up, this would all just be a crazy dream.