novelnext Chapter 94 The Beginning 938-939.M41
Chapter 94 The Beginning 938-939.M41
Chapter 94 The Beginning 938-939.M41
The Astral was docked at the outer edge of the Galos Space Port for resupply, while Vera Nazari's shuttle landed alone in the berth on the top floor of the Governor's Mansion. Cohen was already waiting, arms crossed, leaning against the railing. She descended the gangway, her deep red robe clinging to her back in the circulating wind pressure, her light brown ponytail neatly tied, a data pad clutched in her hand, her steps crisp and decisive.
"Cohen." She stood before him, offering no pleasantries, her tone direct, and handed him the data panel. As previously agreed, the monthly technical crew roster had been fully reviewed. Three thousand people, covering technical positions such as engine room, steering, communications, and damage control, all ready to board at any time.
Cohen took the data panel, his eyes quickly scanning the screen. It was filled with densely packed names, positions, qualifications, and information about the chief engineer.
The gunnery officer, first mate, and communications officer—each entry listed their service record from the crew training pool and their previous positions. He nodded, put the data panel into his inner robe pocket, and turned to walk towards the bridge at a leisurely pace.
"How is the fleet doing?" he asked as he walked.
"The Steadfast and those ten transport ships are small and slow, carrying less than three million each time. The main force consists of the five Odysseus-class ships, which can carry up to seven million each time," Vera said, speaking slightly faster than usual, following behind him. "The Truth just returned from the Armageddon route, which is relatively calm now and doesn't require close escort. Moreover, the Odysseus-class ships have formidable firepower, practically no weaker than the Truth. The eleven Wanderer-class small ships were basically patrolled by the Imperial Navy along the way through Lucis. The Truth's actual role is rapid patrol, allowing for quick rescue should any danger arise."
Cohen nodded without saying anything.
Inside the Governor's office, several data panels were spread out on a long table, and a star map of the Garros system was projected onto a holographic projector. Vera sat to Cohen's left, Marcus to his right, Carla stood by the window with her arms crossed, and Maggie sat at the end of the table, her fingers already hovering over the data panels.
"Twelve warships." Cohen tapped the star map a few times, and two Moon-class and ten Cobra-class ships lit up. According to the original plan, today we'll finalize the personnel deployment and training schedule.
Marcus opened a technical data file on the holographic platform and pushed it to the center of the screen. The blue halo of his right mechanical eye slowly expanded and contracted. "Cobra-class destroyer, 1.5 kilometers in length, is the smallest Imperial warship capable of subspace travel, and also one of the fastest." His voice was steady, as if reading from a technical manual, but with a familiarity unique to veteran naval personnel. "A pair of torpedo tubes and a laser turret at the bow, purely defensive in nature, with a short range, not very useful against capital ships."
It's fast, highly maneuverable, and has thin armor; a head-on collision with its large engine compartment isn't its forte. However, our ships are precision-engineered, faster, and have relatively thicker armor.
He paused, the blue halo around his right mechanical eye shrank slightly, and his gaze swept over the people present.
"The most effective tactic for the Cobra-class ships is to form a squadron of two to six and fire torpedoes in unison. A single torpedo salvo is enough to destroy a large capital ship. Hit and run, using speed to escape the enemy's broadside fire."
Marcus looked at the ten points of light on the star map, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Our ten Cobras, split into two squadrons of five each. With the cover of the Luna-class, they can do a lot on the battlefield. Reconnaissance, patrol, escort, harassment—it's designed for multiple purposes. The Skager patrol on the eastern frontier, twelve months before the Gothic War, destroyed seventeen pirate ships with Cobra-class ships. During the Gothic War, the Cobra-class even caught up with and sank an Eldar capital ship in the Glardak Dark Nebula of the Vortex Nebula." He turned off the data, his tone confident. "What the Imperial Navy can do, the Garros Fleet can do too."
"The training program is proceeding as planned." Cohen turned to Marcus, his tone calm. "Three phases: Phase one: basic single-ship operations; Phase two: fleet formation—two Moon-class ships with their respective Cobra squadrons, practicing formation navigation..."
Coordinated firing and torpedo saturation attacks: the third phase of the joint fleet exercise.
Marcus nodded and drew out a training plan in front of the holographic display.
"Tens of thousands of ordinary crew members have been recruited and trained, and there are reserves for every position." Cohen looked at Maggie, his tone calm. "You will allocate personnel from the crew database according to the staffing schedule, giving priority to experienced veterans. In addition, the key technical crew members of the Cobra destroyer will be selected from the positions that were previously backed up on the Black Pearl."
Maggie looked up, gave a crisp reply, and her fingers flew across the data pad as she jotted things down.
Kara lowered her arms from across her chest and leaned forward slightly. "What should we do with the combat crews of the four capital ships?"
"Over on the Black Pearl, the neural interface surgery for all crew members is underway, and post-operative armor training is proceeding simultaneously," Cohen said, his gaze steady. "The CMC-300A production line at the Garros underground base is now in full production, with a massive capacity sufficient to support large-scale deployment. All will use the CMC-300A, and the elite 1,200 personnel—including you—will also receive their CMC-300E power armor."
Kara nodded.
Cohen turned to Vera. "The entire combat guard of the Truth underwent neural interface surgery, and a core group of 1,200 people was also organized, to be equipped with the 300E elite type. The remaining capital ship combat personnel will all be equipped with the 300A type. There are a total of more than 2,400 elite armor sets, and further physical modification surgery will be performed on the personnel later—all of this is in the plan."
Vera made a note on the data board, her lips pursed slightly.
"The Cobra's combatant force doesn't need to be too large, just a large squadron of about one hundred people per ship. The interior space of the Cobra, being of high precision engineering, is optimized to accommodate a large squadron. Equipped with power armor and explosive guns, they are responsible for key areas inside the ship and preventing boarding attempts," Cohen continued, his tone unhurried. "The two Luna-class ships are configured the same as the Truth, both needing to be capable of independently carrying out small-scale amphibious operations. The Luna-class combatants will be drawn from the core personnel of your two teams, and then selected from the defense forces. A total of over 40,000 people will be needed for initial neural interface surgery. The 400,000 sets of 300A will be delivered within six months."
Marcus added, the blue halo of his right mechanical eye glowing steadily: "The Cobra-class's boarding defense can't rely solely on crew numbers. The ship is small, with limited internal space; once an intruder breaches the core passage, the bridge and torpedo room are separated by a hair's breadth. Therefore, the squadron assigned to each Cobra must be able to plug the breach at crucial moments." He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Our Cobra-class will give our enemies a pleasant surprise."
Cohen nodded but didn't reply.
"What about going to Lucis?" Marcus asked.
"We'll go after training," Cohen replied. "From Garros to Lucis, the subspace journey plus regular cruise takes about a month one way. Once the fleet is fully trained, the Black Pearl will make another trip to take care of three things at once: purchasing identification codes, submitting the fleet size report to the Navy, and applying for shipyard establishment."
Vera leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her stomach, a hint of relaxation in her voice. "So the next few months will be all about training for fleet operations?"
“Yes,” Cohen said. “The Black Pearl, the Truth, and the twelve new ships are all circling within the Garros system. They’re practicing formation flying, firing, damage control, boarding—practice everything they can. Once the fleet is fully developed, then we can consider going out.” He paused, his tone slightly softening. “Those five combat transport ships will also need to train in formation later; immigration is the priority now.”
Kara pressed further: "During fleet formation exercises, after the surgery and armor fitting are completed, and basic integration training is conducted, you return to the ship for in-depth training, including boarding and counter-boarding operations?"
"Simultaneous," Cohen replied. "The surgeries will be performed in batches, and the A-class personnel will arrive in batches. This won't delay formation training. By the time training is over, all teams should be able to wear the CMC-300."
Vera flipped through the data panel, looked up, and glanced at everyone present. "I'll select the people when I get back, and finalize the list first. There are quite a few capable fighters in the Truth's combat guard; the main focus will be on assessing their loyalty and fighting spirit." Her tone regained its efficiency.
People in the reception room gradually stood up. Marcus walked towards the bridge, Maggie checked the supplies list, and Kara headed towards the hangar.
Vera walked last, paused at the door, and turned her head.
"Cohen".
Cohen looked at her.
"You just said you'd go to Lucis to take care of three things after training: identification codes, declarations, and shipyard registration. Once these are done, the Galos Fleet will be officially registered with the Empire?"
“Yes,” Cohen said calmly. “Once the Garros shipyard is incorporated into the organization, there will be no need to buy black market identification codes anymore. Fleet registration is just a formality—the Imperial system is strict, but there are loopholes. Ships belonging to the Casting World are considered assets of the Mechanicus and are not directly under the Navy's control. As long as they are registered, pay the taxes due, and are subject to the required conscription—they would love to have more of these ships on their books. This was originally the final step in the plan.”
Vera nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips, a hint of relief in her eyes. "I've got a basic idea now. I'll go pick the right people."
She pushed open the door and went out.