Age of Cosmic Exploration
chapter-440-30041322

Chapter 440: Assignment

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the seventh day after the strategy department came up with the plan, about 72 emergency-created pilotless spaceships left the City of Light Moon. Each of the spaceships was equipped with a superlight speed communication device and surveillance device. If they managed to detect something, even if just for one over fifty seconds, the information would be sent to the City of Light Moon. Therefore, it was okay if these spaceships were destroyed, because a great amount of information would still be sent back. If contact was made without hostility, even if there was no one piloting the spaceships, communication could be made without delay.

"There are in total 72 spaceships. They will separate into three groups, so unless the other party has decided to attack us directly, all three groups of armless communication spaceships won't be destroyed on sight."

The military engineer responsible for communication and innovation answered. Even though they only had seven days to design and create the spaceships, humanity already had the technological prowess to say something like this. The technology of a level 3 space civilization was something those beneath level 3 couldn't understand. The electromagnetic technology that once impressed humanity greatly was now considered outdated by a level 3 space civilization. The difference between then and now was like heaven and earth; it was no wonder so many level 2 space civilizations would give up everything to become a level 3 space civilization…

It was worth noting that after humanity became a level 3 space civilization, Yao Yuan and other Barracks officials would wake up in the night with cold sweat. The reason was because they were reminded of the fact they once destroyed a Shelter and the level 3 space civilization within it with one shot of the Gravity Cannon. After that success, many humans, including the military experts, while they still held a cautious attitude regarding level 3 space civilizations, didn't see them as a huge threat that could wipe out the human race anymore.

However, after humanity became a level 3 space civilization, they truly understood the difference between the different levels. That difference was no longer something that could be described in numbers. The best weapon of a peak level 2 space civilization, be it the Genesis or Requiem, wouldn't even threaten the energy shield of level 3 space civilization, while the most basic weapon of a level 3 space civilization, like the trooper plasma pistol, was not something defensible by level 2 space civilization standards. A large scale energy weapon of a level 3 space civilization could take out the whole mothership of a level 2 space civilization with one shot!

Seven days, it only took seven days for humanity to design and create 72 pilotless spaceships attached with the latest communicative technology… In conclusion, you're a level 3 space civilization, I'm a level 3 space civilization, so let's not mess with each other!

Of course, that was not everything humanity did. The New Solar System first fleet had returned to the City of Light Moon to prepare for a possible war. At the same time, all the Black Star Troopers were ordered to return and their patrol duties would be taken over by the Defense Unit. Other than a few troopers, all of the rest were tasked to return to the City of Light Moon to defend it.

Within human society, the news about the expansion of the Defense Unit had been spread. To the government's surprise, the number of citizens who enrolled was greater than they expected, and most of them were young people around or less than 30 year old. To put it simply, the generation that was born in space was passionate in joining the military. In fact, some had given up jobs like scientists and engineers to join the military.

No matter what, humanity's war machine had been started, and the people were slowly getting into place. The fleet travelling in warp drive maintained their speed of 20 times the speed of light and it would take them another two months before they reached the edge of the New Solar System. These two months were enough for humanity to prepare for war. They had given up the expansion of the City of Light Moon and focused on arming the New Solar System first fleet, weapon maintenance, and upgrades. Even considering the citizen migration project from the first and second defense lines, two months was more than enough to complete those things.

The speed of the 72 pilotless spaceships was extremely fast. After abandoning the large devices for ferrying people, leaving behind only the communicative devices and energy storage, these pilotless spaceships were the fastest spaceships humanity had. In fact, their speed was easily 10 times the speed of battleships. On the 15th day of military expansion, the pilotless spaceships had reached the space outside of the New Solar System, the spot where the alien fleet was expected to exit warp drive. The 72 spaceships thus started to wait.

Then it was one and a half months away from the alien fleet arriving. The first batch of 6,000 new Defense Unit soldiers had started their training and the Black Star Troopers' spaceships had started their maintenance and upgrades to fit them with the newly designed weapons of a level 3 space civilization. The troopers themselves were given the latest multi-purpose space armor. At the same time, the New Solar System first fleet had finished the upgrade and left the City of Light Moon to head towards the third defense line. There were in total 20 spaceships the size of the Hope, 120 guardian spaceships, and 300 battleships.

So far, the size of the New Solar System first fleet was far from the size that they were expected to have. There were supposed to be in total 250 spaceships the size of the Hope, 1,500 guardian spaceships, and 3,000 battleships. Regardless, from the numbers alone, this was a very powerful space fleet… or at least, it looked like so from the human perspective, and at least the number was greater than the alien fleet currently in warp drive.

Of course, due to the expansion in military, this caused a drought in spaceship pilots, so most ships had to rely on AI. However, even so, the New Solar System first fleet had exhausted about 20,000 Defense Unit soldiers, but this number was still far away from the actual number that should join the battle. To put it simply, even with the aid of AI, each spaceship the size of the Hope would need 120 people to pilot it, the guardian spaceships would need 30, and battleships five. Though these were the bare minimum numbers, they already added up to at least 90,000 people, and that was without taking into account the maintenance crew and the rest. If one needed to showcase the maximum power of the first fleet, they would need at least 200,000 people.

Because of this, Guang Zhen was nervous about the expansion of the Defense Unit. To quote the man, humanity already had enough manufacturing power, especially since they had stepped into the threshold of a level 3 space civilization, with the advent of nanobots. With enough materials and energy, a spaceship the size of the Hope could be created within 15 days. However, in comparison, the lack of manpower had greatly decreased the potential of the New Solar System first fleet. Its current size was only one-fifth of its maximum potential!

However, the reality wasn't that simple. This wasn't a story or a game where people could be moved in and out of the military with ease. You would need several hundred thousand soldiers, and you'd get them from the overall population? Things were not that easy!

Does the human population need to expand? Does science need to advance? Does human society need to grow? Guang Zhen was not right in his words, but soldiers wouldn't be able to have a child every year like normal citizens. This had greatly dragged down the expansion of human population because for soldiers, during the times of peace, they would have to join training, patrol, and the like, so they wouldn't have time for other stuff. In that case, what about the expansion of new manufacturing bases and new harvesting and mining centers? Education of the people, invention of science? What about all that? Give up everything and everyone take up arms?

It was not that people didn't know about the importance of the Defense Unit and first fleet, but humanity needed to advance, so not everyone could be dragged into military service!

Therefore, when the first fleet was fully upgraded, only 20 spaceships the size of the Hope, 120 guardian spaceships, and 300 battleships left the harbor of the City of Light Moon. This made Guang Zhen sigh incessantly.

The real idea of the military he had in mind was a large Defense Unit army. The Black Star Troopers were indeed strong, but they were like Old Earth's Special Ops, they shouldn't be used as the main force. But the reality of the situation shattered his wish. From the current perspective, the Black Star Troopers were still the main fighting force for humanity, and this wouldn't change in the foreseeable future…

Yao Yuan, who stood behind Guang Zhen, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ol' Wong, don't think too much of it. After all, the Defense Unit is expanding, and we have reached the 50,000 limit. To go beyond that, humanity's population number is still too low. However, one day, I assure you that you'll be the sky covered by spaceships the size of the Hope…"

Guang Zhen sighed but didn't say anything. Both of them walked on in silence. Suddenly, a hovercraft deposited a few worried-looking officers. The one leading was Liu Bai. He looked around and whispered concernedly, "We have to return to the Barracks immediately! Things are getting worse, the speed of the alien fleet in warp drive has suddenly increased! Its speed…

"Is moving towards the peak of a level 3 space civilization's warp drive speed!

"It's now going over 400 times the speed of light!"