49-50

Chapter 49: Preparing to Unlock a New Tech Tree  

48: Preparing to Unlock a New Tech Tree 

Ventus finally turned his attention to Qu Xuewen. 

Compared to Guan Yan and the others, Qu Xuewen stood out in the looks department. Short hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a delicate, charming face. Beneath her loose white lab coat, she wore a high-neck sweater, a pencil skirt, and sleek stockings—a combo that could easily be mistaken for a cosplay or some kind of uniform fantasy. Yet, she was an elite-level materials scientist, no less. 

Talk about someone who could coast on looks but chooses to shine with talent. 

Knowing Ventus was coming, Qu Xuewen had clearly put in some effort. A faint whiff of perfume lingered around her. This sparked Ventus’s curiosity about the scientist, who hadn’t left much of an impression before. Her file said she was 32, but she looked fresh out of the Academy, with smooth, youthful skin. Still, there was a mature elegance about her that added to her charm. 

His prior impression of Qu Xuewen was that she was basically Feng Yongwang’s sidekick, always working with Dr. Feng on the Phantom-class starfighter project. She was sharp, professional, and smoother than the typical nerdy types in the lab. Plus, she was easy on the eyes. That was about it. 

Qu Xuewen seemed to inch closer to him, subtly or not, but Ventus stepped back just enough to keep things professional. 

He wasn’t some saint, but he hadn’t figured out how to navigate this kind of superior-subordinate dynamic. Maybe sensing his slight distance, Qu Xuewen didn’t push it. She cleared her throat and led him around a corner to the refit area for a frigate. “Right here,” she said. “Professor Chi’s team is working on the turbolaser turret upgrades. It’s outside my expertise, so I’ve been a bit less busy lately.” 

A bead of sweat rolled down Ventus’s temple. Was she just leading me in circles earlier? 

Over there, one side of a Hammerhead-class frigate had been peeled open, revealing a dizzying tangle of wires and instruments that gave Ventus the creeps. 

Professor Chi Jianjun was pointing at a few of the cables. “This is the energy compression zone. We need to add a bulkhead here, but two deflector conduits pass through, so we’ll have to drill through the bulkhead and double-insulate it. That’ll keep the energy compression process stable and safe. We’re not worrying about reverse-engineering these turbolasers yet—we just need combat-ready firepower, fast.” 

In front of him, Feng Yongwang and two other elite experts were scribbling notes like eager Padawans, nodding furiously. 

Spotting Ventus, Chi Jianjun turned and gave a curt nod. “Administrator, Dr. Qu said you’d be stopping by. I’ve got a few things to report.” 

“I’m mostly here to check out our newest frigate in service,” Ventus said with a smile. 

“The Hammerhead-class isn’t exactly top-tier,” Chi Jianjun said bluntly. “It’s a rough ship, but as a weapons platform, it’s leaps and bounds better than V-19 Torrent starfighters. Its energy output is on a whole different level. If we’d had a few Hammerheads when those pirates hit last time, things would’ve gone a lot smoother.” 

“Tell me about this ship,” Ventus prompted. 

Chi Jianjun pulled up a holographic projection of the Hammerhead-class frigate’s schematics. “This frigate’s 31.4 meters long. The original design called for two medium twin-mounted blaster cannons, 40mm caliber, and heavy armor plating for survivability. Problem is, the armor and ammo storage eat up so much space that the ship’s interior feels like a stuffed ration crate.” 

He tapped the holo, and the schematic shifted. “We’ve optimized it without scrapping the core design. Swapped the twin blaster cannons for twin infrared laser turrets. That keeps the heavy armor while freeing up ammo storage for a bigger fusion reactor and a deflector shield generator. But it doesn’t fix the ship’s clunky handling or sluggish maneuverability. The two turrets also have lousy fire coverage. You’d need a whole squadron of these to make them effective in a fight.” 

He paused, then added, “This boosts the Hammerhead’s combat efficiency by about 30%, making it usable. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement.” 

“Where’s it falling short?” Ventus asked, leaning in. 

“Avionics, fire control, flight systems!” Chi Jianjun swiped the holo, dismissing the Hammerhead schematic. “Let’s be real—this frigate’s just a metal box with turrets and engines slapped on. I checked the tech database on the mothership. Ships like this, classified under ‘Corellian Engineering’ designs, are the easiest to reverse-engineer, but they’re not exactly efficient.” 

“So, what’s your suggestion?” 

“This.” Chi Jianjun pulled up another holo, displaying a sprawling list of ships and tech. He pointed to a section labeled ‘Mon Calamari Shipyards.’ “Their tech tree.” 

Ventus was familiar with Corellian designs—think CR90 Corvettes or Consular-class cruisers, solid but basic. But Mon Calamari Shipyards? That threw him for a loop until he accessed his private tech interface and pieced it together. 

It seemed the central database only showed tech origins by faction—like the Phantom-class starfighter, listed as coming from the ‘Sith Empire.’ Ventus knew it was a nod to Star Wars lore, but to everyone else, it was just another faction. The database framed all tech as belonging to various galactic civilizations, not some external source. This tied neatly into the fabricated history of the Fourth Civilization he’d spun—a remnant of a galaxy-spanning legacy carrying the sparks of countless cultures. Mon Calamari tech, known for its elegant, organic designs like the MC80 Liberty-type cruisers, fit right in. 

The ‘Mon Calamari Shipyards’ tech tree wasn’t one Ventus knew offhand, but as he scrolled through, he realized it aligned with the advanced, versatile ships of the Mon Calamari, a faction renowned in the Rebellion era for their engineering prowess. Their ships, from nimble frigates to massive capital ships, were top-notch. 

Chi Jianjun’s choice made sense. The Mon Calamari were humanoid, their tech compatible with human crews, and their designs prioritized adaptability—perfect for upgrading the clunky Hammerhead. 

[Easter Egg Note 1: Mon Calamari Shipyards] [Easter Egg Note 2: Hammerhead-class Frigate] 

Chapter 50: A Grand Master  

As expected, Professor Chi continued, “I’ve compared the tech we know best—the ‘Kushan Civilization’—and it’s strikingly similar to the Traders’ Emergency Coalition’s tech tree. It’s even closer than the Tyrell Empire’s, which gave us the Ghost fighter. This means we can analyze and integrate the Coalition’s tech much more efficiently. And there’s one more critical point…”  

Chi Jianjun adjusted his reading glasses. “The Coalition’s tech tree is far more comprehensive. They’ve got everything from fixed defense turrets and space hangar platforms to planetary fortresses, plus an array of ships, including massive Titan-class warships. If we can fully reverse-engineer their tech, I believe we’ll have the foundation to stand toe-to-toe with any potential threats from the Galactic Republic.”  

Ventus nodded. “So, while we’re in this lull after finishing the Ghost fighter, we’re relying on upgraded Blade fighters and these Hammer-class light frigates to protect ourselves?”  

“Exactly,” Chi said. “The Blade fighter upgrades are done—design finalized, production lines retooled, and we’re churning them out per Qi Jian’s orders. The improved version is 8.6 meters long, fitted with a compact fusion engine, a basic energy shield, one infrared laser cannon, and two Gemini missiles. We stripped off unnecessary armor, so it’s got just enough punch to hold its own.”  

He went on, “For the Hammer-class light frigate, we scrapped the idea of mounting Gemini missiles and swapped the electromagnetic cannons for infrared lasers. We’re also planning to equip it with plasma bombs.”  

“Plasma bombs? Have we cracked that tech yet?” Ventus asked.  

“It’s still in progress,” Chi replied. “They come from the Kushan Civilization—originally used by bombers designed to take out large ships. We decided the bombers themselves aren’t necessary, but their weapon system is solid. Plasma bombs are slow-moving but deal massive damage to shields. The Hammer-class frigate’s size is just right for handling the high-energy demands of that system. This upgrade is tailored to counter the incoming Hammerhead-class cruiser.”  

Chi then pulled out two blueprints. Ventus recognized one immediately and blurted out, “Wait, isn’t that an SCV?”  

Yup, the Terran worker unit from StarCraft!  

“Correct,” Chi said. “The T-280 Space Construction Vehicle. It’s a versatile engineering mech, 12 feet tall, capable of handling most construction and engineering tasks. The mechanized exoskeletons we’re using on the colony are outdated. The SCV can even operate in space—it’s top-tier engineering equipment.”  

He added, “Since the SCV is also from the Tyrell Empire, our work on the Ghost fighter has given us a head start on their manufacturing processes. Developing the SCV will be faster because of it.”  

“And this one?” Ventus pointed to the other blueprint.  

“That’s an engineering ship from the Traders’ Emergency Coalition,” Chi explained. “It can build most space structures with high efficiency. They also have a heavy engineering ship for constructing larger space installations. Their system is incredibly well-rounded.”  

Ventus nodded. With the Ghost fighter in service and security temporarily stabilized, it was time to shift focus to civilian development. Producing SCVs and engineering ships would streamline colony construction. The biggest bottleneck right now was building infrastructure, which was keeping the colony’s population stuck between 6,000 and 7,000.  

Among the many issues holding the colony back, infrastructure was the biggest. Population wasn’t even the main concern—with 5 billion frozen embryos in storage, ready to mature within a decade, and the option to develop reliable droids from the tech database, that could be solved. But infrastructure? There were no shortcuts. It had to be built step by step.  

And Professor Chi, with his razor-sharp insight, had zeroed in on this, jumping straight into the SCV and engineering ship projects!  

“There’s one more thing,” Chi said. “The Kushan tech database includes a stealth fighter. Its cloaking tech is more limited, but it could be a shortcut to getting cloaking on our Ghost fighters sooner. Combine that with the blue-spectrum laser weapons we’re exploring, and those are our research team’s main priorities. We’ve got enough manpower and equipment for now—focus your resources on the colony.”  

With that, Chi gave a curt nod, turned, and headed off with Dr. Feng Yongwang and the others to get back to work.  

Watching him go, Ventus felt a lump in his throat. Gone was the frantic old man who’d burst into his dorm, half-dressed and yelling for help, begging for a bed. Now, Chi was every inch the seasoned, masterful professor—a true grand master!  

Not only had he mapped out a clear research path, but he’d also optimized their limited resources, prioritizing the most urgent projects to ensure the Fourth Civilization didn’t waste a single credit. Unlike some researchers who only cared about funding, Chi saw the big picture.  

A master of his craft. A national treasure! With someone like him on their side, the Fourth Civilization’s rise was only a matter of time. The only downside? He’d only agreed to work for them for five years.  

Ventus couldn’t help but marvel: what kind of incredible nation could produce a grand master like this?  

Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, at the edge of Hutt Space on Tatooine, a battle was about to erupt.  

BOOM! An explosion rocked the entrance of a spaceport in Mos Eisley. The spaceport was a 20-meter-tall circular tower with six landing bays, capable of docking mid-sized ships up to 100 meters long—one of the larger ports on Tatooine.  

Most people didn’t know about the hidden elevator in the tower’s core, used to smuggle illicit goods like spice, the kind that could send you into a euphoric haze.  

But today, this spaceport was under attack!  

As the smoke from the blast cleared, a gang of vicious Bando Gora raiders stormed in. The Nikto mercenaries guarding the port scrambled to fight back. Some grabbed blasters and ducked behind cover, while others raced for the rapid-fire blaster turrets mounted on elevated platforms.  

Bonus Chapter Image 1: Nikto