Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
On a far away stellar region, Meng Tian’s troop was already fairly deep. Their deep exploration target was closer and closer.
“Falcon 7 calling base comm, requesting recall. I repeat, Falcon 7 calling base comm, requesting recall. Over.”
“This is base comm. Falcon 7 recall authorized. Recall channel B23, I repeat…”
A foreign stellar region, and a symbol marked it as Milky Way Alliance 999’s troop, currently on an exploration mission.
The troop’s two motherships linked up, sitting as steadily as if they were in their designated spaces in a space station. One after another, small scout ships were released, flying in and out like worker bees.
Nobody expected interstellar exploration to surge forward. All movements proceeded as per the plan, and they avoided danger while abiding by the rules of exploration.
Planetary composition, stellar mass, celestial gravitational relationship, meteorite belts, dark matter distribution, curvature spatial density, scientific calculations…
This would be a long term project. Exploration and reconnaissance was a precise process, and each step had strict movement regulations.
13 warships had moved out on their mission simultaneously. With the mothership as the core, they had carried out patrolling and security missions. It was possible that attackers would appear within their defense perimeter.
Pirates, anti-Milky Way Alliance groups, hitherto undiscovered civilizations…
Far away from the radiation of the Milky Way Alliance, even a large Milky Way Alliance fleet did not spell safety. The most common enemy was anti-Milky Way Alliance groups. In the era of the Milky Way Alliance’s reign, such groups were not poor. At their best, they were wayward civilizations that were anti-human, and like weeds that could not be eliminated. Not every alien civilization was happy to submit to human order. Each time, they would conduct suicidal attacks without technological aid. But they were large in numbers, and the threat could not be overlooked.
Warship No. 12, under Meng Tian’s command, had just finished a 10-hour-long “Level 1 Security Reconnaissance Mission”, and was gliding towards the dock that the mothership had opened, in preparation for maintenance.
As the warship docked, the main engines were on standby. More than 10 maintenance mecha moved about their checks unhurriedly.
“All stations note. This rest time is 16 hours. After individual watches are delegated, disembarking in shifts is permitted…”
After finishing the last guard duties, Meng Tian breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to the captain recess room. Eight hours of non-stop Level 1 Security Reconnaissance was no easy mission, even if they had not met with trouble. Especially the captain job, which needed more than just calm.
Very, very tiring.
She wanted to rest, to close her eyes. Be in a dream world where she was also sleeping.
But with a light flick of her finger, the screen in the recess room switched on, displaying the information: Captain’s Advanced Development Course (Part Two)…
She had not reached the point where she could rest. Ascending to the position of captain meant that there were many things she had to learn. Far more than her fatigue.
Not many people left the ship. Although the two ship cores had linked, and it was like a space city, the inside was not that different from the warship. It was just that because it had been lived in by many, it was softened by a more human design, and the atmosphere did not feel as severe as that of the warship.
The rest area of the warship was lively. After a mug of drink, no one cared who was an officer, or a fighter, or engineer. A common interest could strike up a conversation.
The biggest question was definitely the babe replacement captain.
“Say, you think Captain Meng will remain on our Ship 12?”
“Definitely! At that time, we’ll raise a group request to keep Captain Meng.” Lead Fighter Weilun was a rough one. His two eyes were bright, and when he spoke, his voice rumbled like thunder. Weilun
Among the fighters, Meng Tian was especially favored. The first captain who could best them in a fight! And a babe! The ship’s assembly every day with the captain used to be the most boring part of a fighter’s day. A whole bunch of crap repeated day after day. Although they understood, it was boring. And now, it was like a concert. Even before reporting time, they were all assembled and ready in front of the screen.
“You think the captain has a boyfriend?”
“Rubbish! Definitely not! Please, no!”
“Well, what do you think?”
“Piss off! Who do you take me for? D’you know what admiring respect is?”
“But for real, Captain’s stony face is already so alluring. If she smiles…”
“Then we’ll be bamboozled to death on the spot for sure…”
They were all flying the Meng flag high, but they were all clear that drooling was about the limits of what they could do.
“Sssh! Tone it down, Mengha’s here.”
A few fighters glanced towards the door. A few figures were walking into the recessed area. Three guys and a girl, all wearing officer uniforms.
The three guys looked over with little emotion. Instantly, it was quiet.
Normally, ground soldiers were unafraid of scoundrels. As long as they were not ground soldiers, then even if the Emperor of Heaven himself came down, they would leave him bloody even if they could not win.
But these few youngsters were different, especially that Mengha from Heaven’s Arrow Federation. He was a monster. Previously, there had been a scuffle, and in the end… Thinking about it still gave them the goosebumps.
Demon Mengha!
Shu Yi smiled. “It’s fine. We’re just here for a meal. Lighten up.”
The few of them sat down, and the conversation topic was amazingly Meng Tian.
Meng Tian was undoubtedly the student with the highest career potential from Milky Way Galaxy Military College. Replacement captain was still captain, and for a far-reaching exploration team as well. With this experience, even if she was not within the Milky Way Alliance system, the captain’s position would be her minimum position anywhere else.
“If she stays with the Milky Way Alliance, the most likely course is to send her for the Captain’s Masters Course. Graduation in a year, then she can be a proper captain,” Shu Yi said as she smiled. Her eyes were casting about jealously. Her looks could not compare, and her quality was said to be inferior as well. Even if she had better luck, she was unhappy that Mengha was chasing Meng Tian. She was also from Heaven’s Arrow Federation, and she had liked Mengha for a while now.
“If it was me, I would return to Earth. I would at least be a Major General there, with at least five warships under my command.” Yuan Jing from Big Bear Federation. At this moment, he was lazily leaning back on his chair, with his two legs propped ungainly on the table. Speaking of Earth, a sneer curled on his mouth. Of course, Meng Tian was not bad, but Earth was nothing.
“Shove off.”
Pavel was the biggest of the four. He was from Clark Galaxy, and two meters tall. He was even thicker than a bear. Out of the four, he was the oldest and had the most battle experience. But he also spoke the least.
Yuan Jing shrugged and retracted his legs off the table without argument. It was a joke that Pavel had a nickname “The Demon Who Dismantles Mecha With His Bare Hands”. He was not afraid, but crossing him was tiring. In truth, even if it was some peon, Yuan Jing would save the trouble as well. A lazy man’s world first considered what was easiest, and then how to live a life free of trouble.
All four were genius level elites who had accomplished much on this mission. They had risen after their stint on Ship 12 and were in the same position as Meng Tian. Now the positions they were at all had “replacement” as a prefix. It could be said that Ship 12 was the “promotion ship” specially prepared for Galaxy Military College students of solid background. Of course, it was also testing if these bright ones had the ability to rise in position.
A deep place in the stellar region.
An unmanned scouting drone was surveying a planet at speed. Each photograph was shot with a telescopic lens and relayed back.
The drone was quickly approaching the dark side of the planet, when there was a ripple through space. It seemed like a ripple appeared on the still water. The drone disappeared.
After an hour…
A scouting ship appeared at the last known position of the drone.
“Strange, the signal was just ahead. How could it have disappeared?”
The scout troop looked at the signal on the screen. The unmanned drone was just ahead, the red signal bleeping. It was the distress call after it lost power.
But within their vision, it was all void. Besides a brown and dreary planet, there was nothing to be seen.
“Hang on! This…”
“Fire all engines, emergency escape, don’t…”
Boom…
The entire scout ship suddenly vanished in space.
Only one distress signal continued to penetrate the void.
