hotmtlnovel Chapter 82 Echoes from Mars
Chapter 82 Echoes from Mars
The berths at the Garros Space Port were illuminated by cool white spotlights in the morning light.
The Black Pearl was docked at the main berth, its five-kilometer-long steel hull gleaming a mottled, cold gray in the beams of the guide lights. Beside it stood the Truth, its deep red armor plates resembling congealed blood under the spotlights. Further out, the silhouettes of the Indomitable and Valiant, two Odysseus-class ships, hovered silently on the tracks—Phyllis was on the Valiant's bridge, busy with the loading and unloading of a new batch of immigrants.
The loading and unloading of migrants continued day and night. People descending the gangway were guided by administrative servants through the transfer hall, boarded transport ships, and were taken to the resettlement area under the dome.
Vera Nazari descended the gangway of the Truth. She was wearing the crimson robe of a third-order trainee technical priest, hoodless, with her light brown hair tied in a neat high ponytail. She clutched a data tablet in her hand and walked much faster than usual.
Liu En stood at the gangway of the Black Pearl, watching Vera walk across the jetty in the berth area. Her expression wasn't her usual smiling one; her lips were pursed, and her brows were slightly furrowed—an expression of suppressed unease.
"Cohen." She walked up to him, without exchanging pleasantries, and handed him the data panel. "A Star Language message from Lucius. Vitellius has advanced. Fifth Rank."
Liu En took the data panel and glanced at it. The text on the screen was encoded in High Gothic, with a neat format and formal wording. The issuing authority column bore the seal of the Central Archives of the Martian Mechanical Order—not the gear skull of the Lucis Temple, but the Martian one, the red-and-gold seal engraved with the words "Mars Forging World · Mechanical Order · Ruler of the Sages".
"Tier 5," Liu En repeated, his tone flat. "Direct certification from Mars?"
"Direct certification from Mars." Vera nodded, lowering her voice slightly. "It's not the kind of process where the Lucis Temple nominates and Mars approves. It's a certification initiated by Mars itself. This kind of thing happens only once every few decades."
Liu En didn't reply, continuing to flip through the data panel. The next few pages contained the complete decoding of the interstellar message, densely packed with binary code, interspersed with a few paragraphs of supplementary explanation in High Gothic. He quickly scanned the keywords—"Imperial Documents," "Solar Auxiliary Army," "Twenty-Fourth Battalion," "Static Field"—each word reminding him of the same thing: the document was far more significant than he had anticipated.
He handed the data panel back to Vera, leaned against the bulkhead, and crossed his arms.
"What else did they say?"
"That's all." Vera put the data tablet into the inner pocket of her robe. "The Star Language messages are the official reporting format. As for the specifics regarding Vitley's situation, we can discuss that when we meet again."
Liu En nodded.
Vera flipped the data panel to the front and pointed to a line of High Gothic text. "Look at this—'Report on the Recovery and Technical Appraisal of Documents Regarding the Establishment of the 24th Solar Auxiliary Army'—the Martian Central Archives' number, date, and signatory are all there."
She paused.
"This isn't just a matter for the Mechanical Order. The State Church has also arrived. The Temple's report mentioned the terms 'Church Overseer' and 'Cardinal's Special Envoy.' The State Church's representatives have already arrived in Lucis, and they are of high rank. Relics personally signed by the Emperor belong to the core relic category of the State Church in a legal sense."
"And then there's the trial court. The report mentioned 'special envoys from the Antichrist Society.' Verifying authenticity and eliminating subspace contamination—that's standard procedure, but you can guess that once they arrive, they won't leave easily."
"There are also combat nuns. Their unit designations are 'Bloody Rose Order,' 'Silver Robe Order,' and 'Holy Monastery Direct Guard.' They were all transferred directly from Terra and Ophelia VII, not local garrison nuns from Lucis. The leader is a senior nun."
Liu En leaned back against the bulkhead and remained silent for a few seconds.
The Battle Sisters—the military order of the State Church, the Empire's most fanatical fighting force. Their appearance signifies that this event has transcended the realm of technology recovery, escalating to the level of "relic protection." The recovery of a document personally signed by the Emperor is not merely a technological discovery for the State Church; it is a miracle.
Three forces—the State Church, the Inquisition, and the Battle Sisters—simultaneously flooded into Lucis. This wasn't a commotion caused by eleven Starfortress mechs. Starfortress mechs were technological assets, their value confined to the Mechanicus system. The document establishing the Solar Auxiliary Army, personally signed by the Emperor, was a sacred relic, a miracle.
Vera pouted, but Liu En ignored her and turned to walk through the airlock of the Black Pearl.
"Come in. Let's get down to business."
The lights in the reception room were on, and the cauldron at the foot of the Imperial statue burned with frankincense, its smoke swirling slowly beneath the dome. A data board lay out on the long table, and Marcus was already seated to one side, a glass of water before him. The logistics officer stood in the doorway, flipping through a list—not Phyllis; Phyllis was on the Valiant handling immigration transfers, and her deputy had taken over as logistics director of the Black Pearl. Kara stood by the window, arms crossed, gazing at the starry sky outside the porthole.
Liu En sat down in the main seat, with Vera to his left. Marcus brought up the holographic projector, and a star map unfolded above the table.
"Let's get down to business," Liu En said calmly. "The expansion plan. I mentioned at the last reception that the fleet needs to be expanded. Luna-class, Cobra, Odysseus—not just one or two, but many. We can start implementing it gradually now."
Vera opened her data panel and switched to the Truth's configuration page.
"The Truth, a lunar-class cruiser, has a combat guard of 10,000 men, comprising five companies. It is fully equipped with the Solar Auxiliary Army's equipment—solar-type void armor, Calibrav rifles, multi-barrel laser cannons, thermal lances, power swords, and ground vehicles, all of which are in place. The non-combat crew numbers slightly over 30,000, with all positions filled."
She raised her head, her gaze lingering on Liu En's face for a moment, her tone carrying a hint of seeking praise.
Liu En did not respond to her gaze. He remained silent for a few seconds, then tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table.
"No," he said.
The air in the drawing room suddenly tightened. Vera's finger stopped on the data panel, Marcus looked up, and Carla lowered her arm.
"Take all of this equipment back." Liu En's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the table. "The batch of Solar Auxiliary Army equipment salvaged from the wrecked ship—everything related to the Solar Auxiliary Army—must be transported back to the Garros underground warehouse for safekeeping, without leaving a single piece."
Vera's eyebrows furrowed, her voice filled with obvious confusion and a hint of suppressed dissatisfaction. "Cohen—why? This batch of equipment went through so much trouble to move from the wrecked ship, and the Truth was just fully equipped—"
"Let me finish," Liu En interrupted her.
He took a deep breath and his gaze swept over everyone present.
"Vitellius's document is now circulating among Mars, the State Church, the Inquisition, and the Battle Sisters. The mark of the Solar Auxiliary Army is too conspicuous. We're wearing their equipment, and if we're noticed, we'll be dead. We're too weak to withstand questioning from any single power."
He paused, then pointed to the light spot on the holographic platform that marked Lucis.
"The Martian stamp, the State Church's inspector, the Inquisition's special envoy, the Battle Sisters' guard—any power that notices that Garros is equipped with the full gear of the Sun Auxiliary Army would be able to crush this newly sprouted seed of mine in an instant."
Vera opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her fingers clenched tightly on the data panel, her knuckles turning white. She lowered her head and crossed out line after line of the equipment list she had just written, her movements so heavy that the screen of the data panel made a sizzling sound.
"...I understand," she said in a muffled voice.
Liu En looked at her, offering no words of comfort. He knew she was resentful, but it wasn't a matter of resentment. He waited until she had crossed out the entire list before continuing to speak.
"The Truth and Black Pearl, as the main battleships, use the CMC-100 fully enclosed power armor, which is the same model that the Black Pearl garrison has always used. All infantry weapons, special weapons, melee weapons, heavy weapons, and ground vehicles are also models produced by Garros. These are basically reverse-engineered and improved versions of old equipment."
He paused for a moment.
"From this day forward, all active-duty equipment of the Galos military must be produced entirely by Galos itself. All original equipment of the Solar Auxiliary Force shall be sealed away, not a single piece, for reverse engineering and as a reserve."
Vera looked up, her lips pursed. "What about those that have already been distributed?"
"Recycle everything. The Black Pearl too."
Vera took a deep breath and added a few more strokes to the data panel. Her movements were a bit more steady than before.
Liu En turned to Kara. "The Black Pearl Guard is the same. Everyone is to switch to Garros's own equipment."
Kara nodded.
"The Galos Planetary Defense Force is also equipped with Galos-made CMC-100 power armor and a full set of individual weapons, heavy equipment, and vehicles. Those selected to join the capital ship combatant ranks will retain their equipment standards after being transferred from the Defense Force."
The logistics officer quickly took notes at the door.
Vera looked up at Liu En, her tone carrying a final, tentative probe. "So, what about all that equipment for the Solar Auxiliary Army that was salvaged from the wrecked ship? Just sitting there like that? Equipment for tens of thousands of people just sitting in a warehouse gathering dust?"
"Store it," Liu En said. "As a backup reserve and for reverse engineering." He paused, then added in a low voice, "Although these equipment are of excellent performance, storing them is safer than using them for now."
The others remained silent upon hearing this, offering no comment.
Then Liu En's gaze fell on the star map on the holographic projection table, and his tone became serious.
"Vitellius's promotion is not an isolated incident. Martian certification, the involvement of the State Church, the presence of the Inquisition, the Battle Sisters Guard—this is a very complex situation. If we show even a small part of ourselves, we will be uprooted. This batch of equipment must be sealed away; not a single piece can be outside."
A few seconds of silence filled the reception room. Vera lowered her head and wrote the last line of a note on the data panel—"Solar Auxiliary Army Equipment: All sealed, do not activate." Then she closed the data panel and placed it on the table.
"...I understand." Her voice wasn't loud, but the resentment from before was gone.
Liu En withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to calm. "Continue. The combat personnel strength of the Truth and Black Pearl remains unchanged: 10,000 men, five large companies."
Vera reopened the data panel and quickly tapped her fingers on it, creating a new list. This time, instead of listing each item individually, she simply wrote, "The entire army will be equipped with a full set of Garros-made equipment (CMC-100 power armor, long-range laser rifle, bomb gun, plasma pistol, chainsaw sword, hot melt gun, multi-barrel laser cannon, armored vehicle)."
Liu En leaned back in his chair. "Ten Cobra-class destroyers, combat crew drawn from the defense force. Non-combat crew will be recruited separately and will undergo unified training on the Black Pearl."
Marcus jotted down a few notes on the data panel. "What about the combat transport ships?"
"Each ship is equipped with a certain number of combatants, who are rotated from the defense force on a daily basis. The eleven ordinary transport ships are not included in the combat sequence and are only required to maintain their original guard duties."
Vera looked up. "What about the combat crew on the new ship?"
"They'll all be drawn from the Defense Force," Liu En said. "From now on, the Truth and Black Pearl won't directly recruit combatants. Newly recruited combatants will first be incorporated into the Defense Force, receiving unified training and equipment. When any ship needs manpower, they'll be transferred directly from the Defense Force, with the equipment standards remaining unchanged."
He paused for a moment.
"The training period is three months. Recruitment is also underway in Armageddon. All newly recruited combatants will first join the defense force, and then the capital ships."
Marcus nodded. "Understood."
Kara straightened up. "I'll keep an eye on the defense forces; let's get the framework set up first."
The logistics officer walked in from the doorway and placed a data panel on the table. "According to feedback from the Thinker's mainframe, the Garros' self-produced equipment production line is fully operational and ramping up production. Within three months, we can equip two ships with combat crews and the first batch of defense force personnel. In addition, the CMC-200 is undergoing rigorous testing and will soon be in mass production—it has thicker armor, a more powerful reactor, and better life support and auxiliary power performance. After mass production, it will be prioritized for replacement on capital ships."
Vera and Kara's eyes lit up at the same time, and their disappointment at losing the Sun-type Void Armor vanished instantly.
Liu En nodded. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone prepare yourselves."
Marcus put away the holographic projector, and Vera stood up, walked to the door, and then paused.
"Cohen." She didn't turn around, her voice soft. "The Truth will officially enter its escort phase next month. I heard the Black Pearl's next target is very dangerous?"
Liu En said, "Please be careful yourself, I'm fine on my end."
Vera hesitated for a moment, then said nothing more, pushed open the door and walked out. Her ponytail swayed behind her as she disappeared down the corridor. Her steps were slower than when she came in, as if she was processing the series of events that had just transpired.
Liu En sat alone in the reception room. The emperor's statue looked down from the dome, and the smoke from the frankincense in the cauldron rose slowly. He picked up his now-cold coffee cup, took a sip, and put it down.
Outside the window, the star of Garros burned into a bright, yellowish-white orb in the distance of its orbit. The transparent armor of the dome shimmered under the starlight. The deep red hull of the Truth lay silent in its berth, the Black Pearl beside it, while the two Odysseus-class destroyers slowly adjusted their attitude along the outer edge of their orbit.
Vitellius advanced to the fifth rank. Martian certification. The State Church, the Inquisition, and the Battle Sisters—three forces simultaneously flooded into Lucis, all for a parchment document salvaged from the depths of a space wreck. This wasn't technology recovery; it was a political earthquake.
He had just locked up all the Solar Support Force equipment in the underground warehouse. Not only because Garros's own equipment could rival this, but mainly because it was too conspicuous. On this enormous chessboard, he was merely a pawn.
This decision was made on a whim. The moment he heard Vera report that three forces had poured into Lucis, an alarm bell rang in his mind. He realized that the mark of the Solar Auxiliary Army was too dangerous and had to be taken back immediately, instantly, and completely. Even if the Truth had already been deployed, even if the supply list was already full—it had to be taken back.
In the underground industrial world of Garros, countless enormous cavities are layered upon each other within the rock strata, with adamantine skeletons supporting the domes, from which cold white lights stream down. A tidal wave of various types of mechs crisscrosses the assembly lines, the welding sparks from robotic arms flickering in the dim light. The Thinker's mainframe breaks down Liu En's meticulously optimized blueprints into millions of instructions, distributing them to every single production line.
The chassis of the Leman Russ battle tank moves slowly along the final assembly line, the Garros gear and skull insignia on the side of the hull already etched. The armor plates of the Chimera troop carrier are being assembled piece by piece by robotic arms at the welding station. The chambers of the explosive rifles are formed from a single precision-cast unit, and the optical sights of the long-range laser rifles are being calibrated one by one on a testing table. The energy field generator of the power sword is repeatedly charged and discharged in a vacuum chamber.
Inside the deepest cavity, the production line for the CMC-100 fully enclosed power armor occupies the largest space. The conveyor belt moves slowly, and every few minutes a complete set of power armor rolls off the line—the ceramic steel composite armor plate, fiber bundle muscle layer, life support system, and holographic display module are all assembled, tested, and sealed on the assembly line. This is Liu En's most successful mortal power armor to date, repeatedly optimized since his time in the Lucis hive, undergoing countless iterations, and now being mass-produced underground in Garros at a rate of one set every few minutes.
In another separate cavity, the CMC-200 is undergoing its final rigorous test. This is Liu En's enhancement of the CMC-100: a significant increase in armor thickness, and the use of an adamantium frame for key supports. Given the increased armor thickness and weight, a more powerful energy system was redesigned. The overall height reaches over two meters; it is wide, heavy, and possesses a powerful life support system, as well as an auxiliary power system. Currently, this model is still in the engineering testing phase, with every piece of data transmitted back in real time for rapid fine-tuning by the Thinker's mainframe. Unfortunately, the atomic deflection shield, similar to that used by Starfortress mechs, cannot be mass-produced for the time being, forcing the cancellation of this design; the device is currently still in the prototype stage. The system is so sophisticated that Liu En suspects it may be manufactured using a black box by STC.
On the monitoring panel of the Thinker's mainframe, all the production line data were fluctuating within the green zone. The industrial heart of Garros was beating at its own rhythm.