Tang Xiao quickly scrolled through the list of legendary figures, disappointed to find most of them locked in an "inaccessible" state. Still, a few names were actually visible.
"What's the deal with the ones I can see? Can I wake them up?" Tang Xiao asked, leaning forward.
[They can't be directly awakened. According to the agreements they made before entering cryosleep aboard the mothership, they're supposed to swear loyalty to you when awakened—but let's be real, for people of their caliber, such oaths don't mean much. Before waking them, you can negotiate with them while they're in a semi-conscious state. If they like what you're offering, they'll agree to wake up and work for you.]
"So the ones I can see are the ones where I might actually meet their conditions?" Tang Xiao stared at those impressive names, feeling a chill run down his spine.
These were clearly characters straight out of movies and games, each name carrying the weight of countless stories and legends! So this is what legendary characters are like! Then what kind of absolute monsters were the ones in those two ranks marked with question marks?
[Exactly. And just so you know, if negotiations fail, they'd rather sleep forever than serve someone they don't respect. However, if you completely satisfy their conditions upfront, you can wake them immediately without negotiation—though their demands are typically... well, let's call them 'extremely challenging.']the main AI added.
Tang Xiao nodded, then his eyes lit up when he spotted a particular name. If he was going to take on Palpatine, this person might be exactly who he needed! Sure, any decent marine could probably beat the guy to a pulp physically, but this man had the actual skills to create absolute chaos in the Galactic Republic's political arena.
But damn... the guy was dangerous as hell. No loyalty, no principles, no sense of justice—just power, profit, and raw ambition.
Everything was a transaction to him.
Yet only someone like that could possibly go toe-to-toe with Palpatine... even so, Tang Xiao couldn't be 100% sure.
It had to be him! When the time was right, he'd open negotiations and see if this man would come out to play. As for the consequences? That was tomorrow's problem.
Right now, Tang Xiao had only one focus—war!!
There might be anywhere from 10 to 30 years before the Clone Wars erupted, and in that time, he had to prepare for all-out conflict! Only by doing so could he possibly survive the coming storm that would engulf the entire galaxy!
He was willing to sacrifice everything else for this singular goal.
Closing the legendary character screen, Tang Xiao felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
This was nothing like watching these characters in movies or controlling them in games. These were beings who stood at the absolute pinnacle of their respective worlds, and Tang Xiao had pitifully few resources to actually deal with them.
No wonder the AI waited until after his awakening to unlock the option to summon these people.
Speaking of awakening... Tang Xiao leaned back in his chair and raised a hand toward a teacup sitting on the table. Concentrating hard, the cup actually began to rise and float toward him!
Tang Xiao broke into a grin—then the cup crashed to the floor with a loud clang, shattering into pieces.
Guess I should wake up some janitors first... Tang Xiao looked at the tea leaves scattered across the floor, then at the busy staff on the bridge, and shook his head with a sigh.
Anyway, this mysterious power had to be the Force, the signature energy field of the Star Wars universe. A supernatural, all-encompassing power—it flowed through everything and could accomplish almost anything.
In this world, those who channeled the light side of the Force were Jedi; those who used the dark side were Sith Lords. Basically, the two groups of laser sword-wielding warriors from the movies.
The epic conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire was fundamentally a clash between the light and dark sides of the Force. Eventually, the Jedi Order representing the light side won out, and the Sith Lords were virtually wiped out—forced to retreat into the shadows.
So, I'm Force-sensitive too. Tang Xiao felt the energy flowing, and the shattered cup fragments on the ground slowly lifted one by one, floating steadily toward the trash can.
Then promptly clattered all around it, missing completely.
"Administrator." Qi Jian approached the still-grinning Tang Xiao and watched the flying teacup shards with interest. He offered a sincere smile, "Congratulations, Administrator, on tapping into this mysterious and powerful energy."
"What's up?" Tang Xiao asked, turning to him.
"The Strategy Department just finished a proposal regarding our current military capabilities. Take a look?" Qi Jian transmitted a data packet to the screen in front of Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao skimmed the proposal and its figures before saying, "Just give me the bottom line."
Qi Jian nodded. "Our top priority right now has to be boosting the mothership's defensive capabilities. Those Blade Fighters alone don't cut it. Honestly, they're just sealed metal boxes with machine guns and engines strapped on. We need something with actual punch. Thankfully, the production lines inside the mothership can manufacture fighters directly, which saves us the hassle of building a space dock."
Tang Xiao gestured for him to continue.
"We're hoping to kick off R&D on the Blade II fighter immediately. We'd have the research team decode the current tech and modify the production lines. Also, we need to start researching infrared laser weapons to beef up the Blade II's combat systems." As Qi Jian spoke, he pulled up specs of a sleeker fighter design.
Tang Xiao recognized it instantly—it was a fighter from Homeworld 2. Definitely a step up from the current Blade Fighter. Smoother design, better handling, but still weak in the firepower department—just a single six-barrel electromagnetic cannon.
No wonder Qi Jian also wanted to research infrared laser weapons—basic laser tech from Stellaris, and pretty solid for their current level.
But after reviewing the specs, Tang Xiao firmly shook his head. He knew exactly what kind of enemies they'd soon be facing. The minor upgrade the Blade II offered was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
From everything he knew about Star Wars, the Galactic Republic's current main fighter was probably the ARC-170. Against something like that, both the Blade and Blade II fighters would be nothing but target practice!
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll establish a physics research division immediately to work on infrared laser weapons."
"What about the Blade II fighter?" Qi Jian pressed.
"The combat improvement it offers is minimal. For now, ramp up Blade Fighter production to 100 units and get them ready for laser weapon upgrades. That's our immediate goal," Tang Xiao replied.
"But the Blade Fighter's reliability and combat capability are terrible! In a real fight, we'd be sending pilots to their deaths!" Qi Jian protested.
"And you think the Blade II would change that?" Tang Xiao cut him off with a wave. "We need something with actual power! Preferably something that can handle atmospheric combat too. The enemies we're going to face are way beyond anything you're imagining! You have to understand—we don't have the luxury of time or resources to develop a bunch of stopgap solutions!"
In fact, he had already decided on the next fighter model they should research.
CF/A-17!
The Wraith Fighter!
From StarCraft!
Note: This story won't include over-the-top or immersion-breaking characters or technologies—no Gundams showing up out of nowhere, for example.