The CF/A-17 Wraith Fighter—straight out of StarCraft—was the backbone combat aircraft of the Terran Empire.
Tang Xiao quickly realized that the current version of the CF/A-17 Wraith Fighter available for research was just the basic model, not yet equipped with the pulse lasers used for ground attacks.
But hey, even without those upgrades, the Wraith Fighter was still a damn good aircraft capable of operating both inside planetary atmospheres and in the vacuum of space. It had proven itself time and again in the StarCraft universe during the brutal wars between the Protoss and Zerg.
Plus, later versions of this fighter would even come with cloaking systems, turning them into absolute nightmares for enemy forces—true stealth fighters!
While the mothership's current tech was built on Homeworld principles, constructing the Wraith Fighter meant bridging the technological gap between Homeworld and StarCraft. Still, Tang Xiao was dead certain this hurdle had to be cleared!
Since both belonged to human technological systems, the resources needed to crack and adapt the Terran Empire's tech from StarCraft should be within reach.
Seeing that the Administrator's mind was made up, Qi Jian dropped the argument. As a subordinate, his job was to voice concerns and give his two cents, then let Tang Xiao call the shots. Now all he could do was follow orders.
Tang Xiao called over Daphne Clement and asked, "The mothership should still have some modular structures for research facilities in storage, right? How big are we talking?"
Clement replied, "Since engineering research can be hazardous and often needs serious space, the mothership carries a modular scientific space station. It can house about 20 experts for experiments and research work."
"Then get Engineering on it right away—have them start building the engineering research station immediately. I want it up and running today if possible!" Tang Xiao ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Tang Xiao opened the mothership's personnel database and started searching for the right people. Among the elite personnel, he found three engineering experts and had them woken up and brought to the bridge.
The three experts—two women and one man—all looked to be in their thirties or early forties. Upon seeing Tang Xiao, they gave respectful salutes. The lead female expert spoke first, "Administrator, good to meet you. I'm Guan Yan, specializing in energy systems. This is Dr. Feng Yongwang, mechanical engineering specialist, and Dr. Qu Xuewen, materials science expert."
Tang Xiao cut straight to the chase. "I need two research projects started ASAP: first is an infrared laser weapon system, second is the CF/A-17 Wraith Fighter. Whatever you need—just tell me, and I'll do everything I can to make it happen."
Guan Yan frowned, thinking it through. "For the infrared laser weapon research... we'll need a dedicated physics lab. I'll also need at least 20 physicists on the team. As for the fighter..."
She passed the data to the male expert. "Dr. Feng, what do you think?"
Dr. Feng Yongwang adjusted his glasses and glanced at the Wraith Fighter blueprint, shaking his head slightly. "The tech systems here are pretty different from what we're used to. It's not impossible, but it'll take time. Dr. Qu and I can handle the early phase—we won't need a big team right off the bat. Five mechanical engineers should cover us for now. I'll let you know when we need more people and materials."
"How long are we looking at?" Tang Xiao asked.
"The data is complete, so the infrared laser weapon could be researched and ready for deployment within a month," Dr. Guan replied confidently.
"The Wraith Fighter is harder to pin down. Even with complete data, we're looking at a year minimum to decode everything and make it production-ready. It would help tremendously if we had a master-level expert heading up this team," Dr. Feng added.
"I'll back you with all the personnel and materials you need. Get to work. I appreciate your efforts," Tang Xiao nodded.
"No, thank you, Administrator. You're the one steering this ship—we're just doing our part. We should be thanking you," said Qu Xuewen smoothly with a practiced smile.
"I'll get that list of requirements ready," added Guan Yan.
No matter where you are in the universe, research is always labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive as hell... As the list of materials grew longer and longer on the screen, Tang Xiao maintained a calm smile—but inside, he was screaming.
The colony had finally started showing some promise, with a modest stockpile of materials built up—and now, it was all being dumped into the research team at once.
Outer Rim of the Galaxy – Western Expanse – Model Star Sector – Hyperspace
"About to exit hyperspace. Wake up, babe." A human woman piloting a Corellian YT-1000 light freighter nudged the co-pilot beside her.
The man in his early thirties stirred from his nap in the pilot seat and groaned, "God, I really miss Corellia's foam wine. Once we finish this gig, I need to head home and crash for... let's say, three days straight."
"Corellia's no place for bottom-feeders like us. I prefer this life—free and wild," the woman replied as she leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"This damn piece of junk is acting up again!" came an angry shout from the back compartment, followed by a loud clang—someone had clearly kicked some equipment. A Rodian stepped into view.
Rodians resembled upright seahorses—with bulging eyes that couldn't blink and snout-like mouths that looked like drinking straws. A species of hunters by nature, they kept up their bounty hunting ways even after joining the Galactic Republic and entering the space age.
"What's the problem, Spud?" the man asked.
"Oh nothing much—just impending death. Hey Ferasi, you should be seeing that seventh indicator light on your left flickering weirdly, right?" the Rodian grumbled.
The woman turned back to check—and immediately yelled, "Shit! The hyperspace deflector's not responding! How is that possible?!" She frantically worked the controls, but nothing changed.
"Well, guess we just pray we don't get ripped apart when we exit hyperspace," Spud muttered, dropping to the floor in resignation.
"The deflector keeps us from being shredded by physical forces when leaving hyperspace. If it's shot, we shouldn't even be in hyperspace to begin with. So unless we've gotten insanely lucky and it broke mid-jump, then..." Before he could finish his thought, the ship abruptly dropped out of hyperspace.
From the outside, the ship would have seemed to materialize out of nowhere into normal space.
After a violent shudder, they managed to stabilize the freighter. The man stared at the enormous object ahead and whispered, "That's... man-made..."
"Holy crap... What the hell is that thing?!" Ferasi gasped in shock.
On radar, a crescent-shaped massive starship was slowly moving in geosynchronous orbit around a planet. It was so incredibly huge that, from the viewport of their YT-1000 light freighter, all they could see was an endless wall of metal stretching in all directions.