Chapter 879: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology
Chapter 879: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology
[Dreadnought Mech] and [Strike Cruiser] are both part of Star Warrior Technology.
The reason for this is that these two technologies are essentially only seen within the Starfighter Battle Groups.
Let’s start with the Dreadnought Mech; it’s a type of Mecha exclusive to Interstellar Warriors, but not everyone can use it.
Interstellar Warriors are incredibly strong, but they are not immune to injury or death. When a comrade is so severely injured that no amount of conventional medical treatment can restore their combat abilities, a typical Battle Group has two options: their Gene Seed and receive the peace bestowed by The Emperor, or enter a stone sarcophagus with a life support system, fusing their nerves with machinery to become a Dreadnought Mech.
Entering a Dreadnought Mech means never coming out again, merging as one with the Mecha. At the same time, the life support system inside the Mecha can make its operator virtually immortal. Therefore, a Dreadnought Mech is not only an extremely powerful combat unit but also a veteran filled with rich experience.
The one Gu Hang drew was an [Iron Rampart Invincible Mech], which could almost be considered the most common type of Dreadnought.
This thing’s combat power is fierce, and its size is huge, only slightly smaller than a typical Knight Mecha that one might see. But this slight difference in size allows it to engage in operations such as combat inside a Warship; it is practically the limit in size for fighting within a ship.
However, although a Dreadnought Mech is a bit smaller than a Ranger-class Knight Mech, if put into confrontation, the former can generally win steadily against the latter; even facing a larger Dominator-class Knight Mecha still offers a considerable chance of victory.
This is mainly because a Dreadnought Mech, having merged with an Interstellar Warrior and connected spiritually, means that many control systems are unnecessary. Their Iron Coffin is their body, offering greater flexibility in operation than a Knight Mecha, and the warrior’s strength itself surpasses that of the Knight. With the control systems saved, the vast space inside a Dreadnought Mech can be used for loading weapons, thickening armor…
The biggest problem with using Dreadnought Mechs, however, lies in the scarcity of soldiers.
It has to be a dying Interstellar Warrior.
A normal, living Interstellar Warrior could be put into a Dreadnought Mech, and it wouldn’t be impossible, but such a procedure is too inhumane. At least Gu Hang had never heard of any Battle Group operating this way, and of course, he wouldn’t either.
In the wars of these years, the Phoenix Battle Group also had about three hundred casualties. In particular, during the Temir campaign’s landing operations, the Phoenix clashed hard with the elite trusted aides of the Green Skins, resulting in significant losses;
In the subsequent ground combat operations on multiple planets, the Phoenix also served as the main offensive force in each location, accompanying the operations. A considerable part of particularly dangerous battlefields was ventured into by the Interstellar Warriors themselves for assaults.
About one hundred out of these three hundred casualties were truly killed in action. Nearly two hundred more were seriously injured and could no longer hold on, hence they were evacuated back.
Among them, a hundred or so people, even with the Alliance’s fairly advanced medical measures now available—drawn from various civil technologies, including those related to medical care—could have their lives saved. Even after a period of recovery, and at most fitting some mechanical prosthetics, they would be able to return to the battlefield.
Only a few dozen people were truly unable to heal from severe injuries, either dying in the rear or simply retiring with disabilities.
After consulting with Matins, these Phoenixes who could return to the battlefield were also retired.
This could definitely not be considered excess survival; interstellar warriors retiring due to injuries, and not counting them when we recruit new personnel is reasonable, right?
Those few dozen who were severely injured and unable to return to the battlefield became the candidates for Dreadnought Mechs.
Of course, this still had to adhere to the principle of voluntariness. They had already sacrificed a lot for the Alliance, for the Battle Group, and if they did not wish to continue fighting, both the Alliance and the Battle Group would respect the wishes of these heroes.
However, in reality, a considerable proportion of injured warriors signed up to become Dreadnought. Being unable to return to the battlefield was something they were very reluctant to come to terms with, and now that there was an opportunity, naturally, they would seize it. Even if the cost was never again being able to leave the Fearless Iron Coffin and even enduring prolonged agony inside—the experience of being stuffed into a Dreadnought was definitely uncomfortable.
But these injured soldiers were unhesitating.
With several dozen backups, the Alliance might not have enough Dreadnought manufactured on the spot through the Black Box system, and produced through the production lines just for a while; they might have to wait for a year, a year and a half, or even several years to get in.
Regardless, with the addition of Dreadnought Mechs, the Phoenix Battle Group once again possessed powerful weapons and could preserve the lives of some veterans who had survived harsh battles, which was definitely a significant enhancement to the entire group’s strength.
As for the [Strike Cruiser], this too was a piece of Interstellar Warrior Technology.
The Empire commissioned the Sect of Mechanics to create a Warship specifically tailored for the needs of the Starfighter Battle Group. The requirements were to be rapidly deployable, facilitate the deployment of elite forces, and possess strong independent operational capabilities, without any weaknesses…
Thus, the Sect of Mechanics came up with something called a Strike Cruiser.
In terms of performance, the Strike Cruiser surpasses standard cruisers and supports Interstellar Warriors directly connecting to the ship’s command and control system via the Black interface, just like operating Powered Armor, although it is much more complex.