Prologue
Three-quarters of this planet's surface is covered by oceans, the doctor whispered.
"Is it possible to establish this algorithm from now on and recalculate a new route?" asked Master Lanwang.
The doctor immediately pressed several flickering buttons on the navigation device, and the planet, which was obstructing the vast starry sky, gradually enlarged in the eyes of the onlookers, transforming into a massive pear-shaped body radiating a shimmering blue light. Each commander who saw this planet for the first time was slightly taken aback, seemingly unprepared for the extraordinary beauty of the terrain on this planet
Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, I wonder if the navigators of the interstellar navigation department have calculated the route to White Wing Star. My colleagues and I have yet to receive any data from the navigation department regarding this voyage's route. Could there be an issue with the navigation path?
The transliteration of "knight" comes from the interstellar travelers of the White Wing Star, who learned this title from an ancient planet that has not yet fully evolved. It seems to refer to a class of individuals who specifically uphold justice, assist the good, punish the evil, and maintain peace. This magnetic and calm voice resonated in the noisy operations headquarters, prompting the advisors, generals, and aides seated around the round table displaying the three-dimensional cosmic star map to respectfully rise.
Marshal Su turned his head towards the moon and waved to the doctor, saying: "Enlarge this planet for us to see."
Xing Silo and the portly First Advisor Turanzo exchanged a glance, a hint of disdain appearing on their faces, and they did not respond to the young officer's question
This will require two large-scale super-temporal jumps under strong magnetic fields, and we will expend eighty percent of our fuel reserves, which means we will have no energy left for the return journey said Master Lan Wang in a low voice
The newcomer carefully removed the military cap, which shimmered with the glow of the night, from his head and placed it in his left hand. He raised his right hand and made a slight downward gesture in the air. In response to this gesture, the dozens of generals standing upright in the operations headquarters all sat down in unison, producing a sharp sound as they did so.
They still consider themselves saviors. How ridiculous. Star Slo self-pityingly stroked his cheek with his long fingers, saying, "The interstellar knights in the last Galactic Spiral War were like a bunch of panicked rabbits, chased all over the universe by the Federation's Star Shatterers, causing the seven major star systems of the Galactic Spiral that had just joined the Retro Alliance to fall one after another. They claim to be the defenders of the galaxy, yet they act like a group of cowards retreating in the face of battle. These boastful individuals truly make one feel disgusted.
"Doctor's degree, you have finally arrived." Lan Wangshi stood up, patting the shoulder of the elderly man with white hair who had just entered, indicating for him to take a seat in front of him.
Hmm. Master Lan Wang gestured for Guang Ye Xun to sit down, then raised his head to glance at each of the federal generals present, and spoke loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have received news from the Marshal. The Federal Parliament and the President have high hopes for this expedition. If we can defeat the military forces of the White Wing Star in this crucial battle for the Galactic Core, the corridor to the other side of the galaxy will be completely opened for us. This means that the territory of the Federation will double, and it also means that we will temporarily not have to worry about the crisis of energy depletion. Therefore, the President personally signed the orders to transfer nearly one hundred ships from the other nine expeditionary legions' Star Crushers to our expedition fleet to deal with the interstellar knights of the White Wing Star."
What is going on? Turanzo couldn't help but ask in a low voice, Is this road impassable?
"The meeting has not officially started yet, so everyone need not stand on ceremony." A tall middle-aged gentleman strolled into the headquarters. His immaculate dark military uniform showed not a single wrinkle, and his snow-white face bore no emotions that could be understood by the mundane world, as if this man, who had walked in under the illumination of the stars, did not belong to this world.
If the civilization of this planet develops in a distorted manner under external forces, then the beings on that planet, unprepared psychologically, will be confronted with a civilization far beyond their capacity to endure. Their social structure will inevitably be distorted, and the conflict between the indigenous civilization and the extraterrestrial civilization will lead to chaos in their social system. "Lan Wangshi murmured, "The folks from White Wing Star are indeed quite fortunate.
Marshal Surante turned to look at the moon and asked, "What is the name of this planet? Hasn't the technician from the navigation department named it yet?"
The operational headquarters of the First Expeditionary Legion is a place where the elite of the Darkwing Federation congregate. Only those staff officers who have achieved first-class military merit during the expeditionary campaign, or non-commissioned officers who have graduated from the military academy—Star King Hall—with top three honors recognized throughout the galaxy, are qualified to enter the rooms of the headquarters
"How about using a polyline route to find a planet beyond this one as the destination for a hyperspace jump, and then using that planet as the starting point for a second hyperspace jump? Can't we just circumvent this damned planet?" Turanzo asked in a low voice
Uh, cough, the doctor’s degree was in a flurry as he tightly clutched the interstellar navigation device while connecting it to the three cosmic charting instruments around the round table. He whispered, "I would like all the officers to see for themselves the projection of the three-dimensional cosmic route we calculated on the four-dimensional sphere relative to the super-time-space z-axis; everything will be perfectly clear."
It is unexpected that a planet located in the desolate region at the edge of the Milky Way can actually block the projection of the White Wing Holy Star on the four-dimensional star map, thereby affecting the decisive battle involving thousands of planets in the core of the galaxy, " murmured Master Lan Wang, gently stroking his chin.
His words caused the surrounding generals and staff officers to burst into loud laughter
"Damn it, I can smell the stench of the Whitewing interstellar travelers from this cursed planet," said Star Slo, lightly tapping the table with his fingers and gritting his teeth as he spoke in a low voice
No, because this planet is located in a very remote area, we have not even had the chance to assign it a number. For the time being, we are still using the name given to this planet by its indigenous inhabitants in the data. "Doctor's degree" said respectfully
The doctor sighed and pressed the switch again, causing the strange four-dimensional star map to instantly revert to the original three-dimensional cosmic star map. He then used a holographic photon pen to click on a star system located at the edge of the Milky Way, which emitted a shimmering blue light under the gaze of many.
It turns out that this is why we have dispatched more than three times the number of Starbreakers compared to before," said Guangye Xun, the newly appointed staff officer, in realization upon arriving at the operations headquarters
"Are you saying that a planet capable of manufacturing antimatter engines is positioned exactly at the center of the hyperspace star map route?" Star Slo exclaimed incredulously, "The probability of that happening is akin to a spacecraft undergoing curvature flight experiencing aviation accidents a thousand times in a row; it is nearly impossible."
Before becoming a first-level staff officer, Star Slo served as a pilot of the Starbreaker in the grassroots military, achieving remarkable feats and making significant contributions to the First Expeditionary Force, which became the ace of the Federation. Later, after being injured in combat and losing the ability to pilot interstellar fighters, he was exceptionally promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and became a first-level staff officer in the Operations Department, entering the Operations Headquarters
"His Excellency the Marshal is still meeting with the President at the Federal Presidential Office. I kindly ask everyone to wait a little longer," said Chief of Staff Lan Wang with a calm demeanor.
Interstellar navigation has always calculated and navigated along the shortest path between two points on a sphere as a straight line, which represents the closest distance between those two points in three-dimensional space. Since such a phenomenon has never occurred in the past two hundred years, the navigation department has yet to establish an algorithm for calculating arc distances, making it impossible to circumvent this planet. "The doctor stroked his beard and said softly.
is not
What is a knight? The pronunciation of the word "knight" is quite strange; is it a transliteration?" a young staff officer who had just entered the operations command center asked curiously
Hmm? A military advisor, whose figure was evidently twice as corpulent as that of St. Slo, seemed to be startled awake from a moment of drifting into slumber by St. Slo's voice. He raised his head and exclaimed loudly, "The elite of the Retro Alliance? Yes, they still refer to themselves as the Interstellar Knights"
All the generals, who were intently focused on the map, couldn't help but furrow their brows tightly. Even the calm and composed Master Lan Wang let out a deep sigh of frustration, remaining silent.
Chief of Staff Lan Wangshi is a legendary figure in the Federation. At the age of 25, he had already attained the position of commander of the Vanguard Fleet of the Federation's Second Expeditionary Force, setting a remarkable record by conquering three star systems within a year. During the subsequent Third Galactic War, he achieved numerous military successes, receiving multiple promotions within a year, and by the age of 30, he had become the Chief of Staff of the First Expeditionary Force. The First Expeditionary Force is the pride of the Federation, and thus its officers are rotated every two years, with the most outstanding generals selected from the entire military to replace the original officers of the First Expeditionary Force. However, due to his exceptional performance, Lan Wangshi has served six consecutive years without any general being qualified to replace him, making him one of the few evergreen figures in the First Expeditionary Force. Therefore, even the battle-hardened Xing Silo and the well-connected Turanzuo do not dare to act recklessly in front of this Chief of Staff. However, due to his exceptional performance, Lan Wangshi has served six consecutive years without any general being qualified to replace him, making him one of the few evergreen figures in the First Expeditionary Force. Therefore, even the battle-hardened Xing Silo and the well-connected Turanzuo do not dare to act recklessly in front of this Chief of Staff
Just as everyone was frowning in front of the cosmic star map, the door of the operations headquarters was pushed open once again. A steady sound of footsteps accompanied the opening of the door, coming to a halt at the round table of the operations headquarters. Even without seeing the person's appearance, the commanding presence of those footsteps made all the generals rise from their seats in unison, standing straight with a posture akin to that of a spear, respectfully saluting.
"What exactly is the problem? The navigation department has never recalculated the same star map route more than seven times, which is quite unusual," Lan Wangshi asked with concern.
It is ... ... like this, '' the doctor took a tense breath, `` On the flight path from the Dark Wing Federation front line to White Wing Star, there happens to be a planet with advanced intelligence. They have developed a relatively primitive antimatter propulsion spacecraft. The energy waves emitted by the antimatter engine will severely affect the federal fleet that is currently undergoing hyperspace jumps, likely causing the entire fleet to lose its direction in the temporal and spatial turbulence, and in severe cases, it may even lead the entire fleet into another time and space, never to return ''
It is regrettable that our intelligence regarding this planet is very limited, and we are still in the process of gathering information
The forward fleet of the Darkwing Federation flickered with blinding red light at its location on this sphere, alerting everyone to its position. Immediately afterward, a golden line extended from there, rushing toward the direction of Whitewing Star. However, this golden line suddenly halted when it reached exactly halfway to Whitewing Star, and the entire map emitted a shocking and alarming sound of warning.
"Unless..." Lan Wangshi raised his head, a glimmer of cold hatred flashing in his eyes, "unless someone deliberately influenced the development process of the life forms on this planet, maliciously propelling their civilization."
Although the Navigation Department has not made any definitive statements, the route has already been recalculated seven times, indicating that there must be an issue. I have issued a final ultimatum to the head of the Navigation Department, requiring them to submit the route chart to headquarters before the meeting begins; otherwise, I will have the military police intervene. " At this moment, he should be on his way, " Commander Lan said in a low voice. As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the operations headquarters suddenly opened, and an elderly winged man in a black robe, carrying a star navigation device resembling a small disc, respectfully entered the operations headquarters.
Lan Wangshi nodded slightly, raised his hand to snap his fingers, and the lights in the entire operations headquarters went out in response, leaving only the three-dimensional cosmic star map above the round table, radiating a cold and profound glow. Moon took a deep breath and pressed the switch on the interstellar navigation device.
"In order to calculate the probability of the White Wing Star or any Retro Alliance's armed intervention in this battle, we must strengthen the capabilities of the advance team, with at least fifty Star Crushers participating in the fight. To ensure the absolute success of this initial campaign, all commanders from the operational headquarters will accompany the advance fleet to the front lines to command the operations, in order to respond to the rapidly changing situation on the battlefield," Marshal Sulante said淡淡地.
"One hundred aircraft!" Turanzo exclaimed involuntarily, while Xingsiluo furrowed his brow. Both of these staff officers were so shocked that the reactions of the other expeditionary generals in the operations headquarters were naturally even more intense, leading to a flurry of discussions throughout the room
Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, the technical maintenance and energy supply of the Starbreakers have always been the greatest burden on the expeditionary force. If an additional one hundred Starbreakers are added to the fleet this time, the number of ships required for their maintenance will reach an unprecedented two hundred and fifty. This will impose a significant burden on the curvature spacecraft transporting the fleet. Our energy reserves..." said Xing Silo with great concern. This will impose a significant burden on the curvature spacecraft transporting the fleet. Our energy reserves..." said Xing Silo with great concern.
Upon hearing the battle of the Shattered Star, the Star Advisor could no longer contain his impatience. Turanzo looked at the excitedly raised wings of Star Slo and laughed heartily, saying loudly. His words finally caused the previously subdued generals, who had been trying to suppress their laughter, to burst into laughter.
The often drowsy fat man, Turanzo, was once the chief of staff of the Tenth Expeditionary Force. He distinguished himself in the battle against the Galactic Left Wing Star Alliance, earning exceptional military honors, which led to his promotion as a first-level staff officer in the First Expeditionary Force. He served in the operations headquarters for three years, after which he was poised to become the commander of an independent expeditionary corps at any time.
Upon seeing the location of this star system, a collective sigh of frustration echoed throughout the command headquarters, with disappointment and anxiety evident on each person's face
"Then we shall not return. We will not turn back until we have breached the last bastion of the Retro Alliance, White Wing Star," Su Lante declared. "After the fall of White Wing Star, we will replenish our energy locally, and before us will be a corridor leading to the other end of the galaxy, a vast sea of energy, where we will forget the worries of energy scarcity"
The new face's adjutant did not carry any illustrious resume, only a blank CV, with the exception of being a crown scholar of the Star King Pavilion, lacking any other notable achievements. Without special connections in the Federal Assembly, such a young man should have been assigned to a grassroots combat team for training and tempering. Turanzo and Xingsuo had never intended to regard these privileged offspring with any respect.
Xing Silo and He - Tu - Shu Tulanzo exchanged a glance, raising their eyebrows in unison, clearly surprised by the formidable background of Guang Yexun
A name that is rather rustic. Very well, gentlemen, let this initial campaign be named the Earth Campaign. Pass down the orders: the advance fleet will assemble and organize today, and will set off tomorrow morning at 5:00. Now, go prepare, and I will see you on the flagship.
Lan Wangshi gently tapped the table in front of him, and the previously noisy operations headquarters immediately fell into a deathly silence. Every pair of eyes in the room turned towards this enigmatic chief of staff
Seeing the Chief of Staff sitting calmly beside him, even Xing Silo and Turanzo felt a hint of unease. Xing Silo quickly withdrew his hand, which was still resting on the cosmic star map, under the table, while Turanzo immediately straightened his slouched posture against the table, puffing out his noticeably robust chest.
There is a strong scent of conspiracy here," the young Guang Yexun suddenly exclaimed, "Why would a planet with such a high level of development suddenly appear in the wilderness at the edge of the galaxy? The other planets there should still be in a relatively primitive stage of civilization development. It is as if it has been deliberately placed there.
"I apologize, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff. Our colleagues in the navigation department have encountered significant difficulties in calculating the hyperspace star chart from the Darkwing Federation to Whitewing Star, which is why the navigation star chart has not yet been delivered to the operations department." The Moon doctor, with a trembling hand, took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.
The Darkwing Federation is the homeland of the Blackwings, and our children know how to fly in the air from the moment they are born. The aerial combat skills of the Starbreakers are an innate divine gift, thus it is an undeniable fact that the Starbreakers are invincible in the galaxy. However, the enemy we face now is Whitewing Star, the homeland of the Whitewings, who grow white wings covered in white feathers and, like us, are born knowing how to fly. Their aviation history is even longer than that of our federation, and if we show any complacency this time, we may face the tragedy of utter defeat at any moment. " Commander Lan Wang said coldly. However, the enemy we face now is Whitewing Star, the homeland of the Whitewings, who grow white wings covered in white feathers and, like us, are born knowing how to fly. Their aviation history is even longer than that of our federation, and if we show any complacency this time, we may face the tragedy of utter defeat at any moment. " Commander Lan Wang said coldly.
It will take approximately three years to establish the algorithm, and it is also necessary to gather the most experienced navigators and mathematicians from the three hundred affiliated stars of the Dark Wing Alliance
The Starbreaker has always been invincible, and the Whitewing Star should be no exception. Once a pilot of the Starbreaker, Xing Si Luo immediately straightened his chest and said in a deep voice. As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden and powerful gust of wind swept through the operations headquarters. Everyone looked up, only to see a pair of enormous black flesh wings behind Xing Si Luo, resembling a demon's cloak, being lifted by the fierce wind, creating an astonishing display as they flapped a few times. The strange appearance of these wings made everyone in the headquarters involuntarily laugh.
"Um, is there any intelligence indicating that the White Wing Star has deployed secret forces on this planet?" Marshal Sulant asked in a low voice
My plan is to dispatch a small advance fleet to the star system where this planet is located to eliminate all local antimatter engines, and then the entire fleet will head directly from the Federation front to White Wing Star. This way, we can save a lot of energy used for hyperspace jumps and do not need to change the course
However, Your Excellency the Marshal, if we increase the size of the advance team, we will face an ever-growing demand for energy for the trans-dimensional jumps, and we are likely to exhaust the energy quota allocated for the return journey
"There is no need for everyone to worry about energy; the military has already mobilized sufficient war reserves. What we need to focus on now is whether we can defeat the most powerful armed forces of the Retro Alliance and the interstellar knights from White Wing Star," said Master Lan Wang淡淡地.
Although most of this planet is covered by water, the creatures here call it Earth, the doctor with a PhD said with a smile
"Let us begin." The elderly man, suddenly appearing within the headquarters, exuding an imposing presence with his silver hair, cast a hawk-like gaze at the Chief of Staff, Lan Wangshi, seated beside him. "I have heard that there are issues with the flight routes?"
All the federal generals present stood tall and spoke in unison.
Looking at the spirited appearance of the generals present, Lan Wangshi nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to glance at the young aide sitting farthest away and said, "By the way, let me introduce you. This young staff officer is Guang Yexun, who has just graduated from the Star King Academy as a distinguished officer. I have reviewed his academic performance and military training achievements, and I believe he has a bright future ahead. Therefore, I personally selected him to join the Operations Headquarters. I hope all of you colleagues will provide guidance to this young man."
What do they call it? Su Lante then asked
Is it a satellite in our federation?" Lan Wangshi calmly continued to ask, "If so, we can command them to suspend the use of the antimatter engine for six months to a year.
"Hmm, such a beautiful planet. Does destroying it make you feel a bit reluctant?" Marshal Su said softly, tilting his head as he gazed at the sapphire-like planet. His words caused the surrounding generals to shudder.
Xing Silo coughed awkwardly, slightly bowing his body. The pair of fleshy wings on his back folded up in the air, carefully concealing themselves behind him
Gentlemen, do not tell me that you have never smashed a single exquisite piece of craftsmanship in your life. We are born warriors; we have distinguished ourselves from ordinary people by breaking things since childhood. Marshal Sulant declared loudly, "It obstructed our path, and we must shatter it, it's that simple"
"Yes, Chief of Staff," Xing Silo said, a hint of shame appearing on his face as he quickly replied
"In order to hinder the advance of our trans-dimensional fleet, they have actually allowed the civilization of a planet to develop in a distorted manner, using the creatures on that planet as their final shield against us," sighed Star Slo in disbelief. "Our enemies are quite insidious."
Indeed, even during the most intense battles of the Galactic Spiral Campaign, we deployed only seventy Starbreakers.
The three-dimensional cosmic star map suspended above the round table suddenly underwent a strange twisting rotation, and all the stars filling the entire sphere were propelled outward in all directions by a tremendous force. The stars, soaring like meteors, struck heavily against the surface of the sphere, transforming into flat projections. The entire universe seemed to be flattened into a thin pancake by the hand of a giant, adhering to the smooth surface of this round sphere
Guang Yexun stood up in response to Master Lan Wang's words and saluted all the federal generals present with a formal military salute
"Do they still call themselves the Galactic Knights?" The first-level staff officer of the General Staff of the First Expeditionary Corps of the Dark Wing Federation, Star Slo, lazily tapped on the three-dimensional cosmic star map on the central round table of the operations headquarters, speaking in a lazy and vague tone.
Respectful Moon, Doctor's degree, may I ask if we cannot navigate around the area where this planet is located?" Guang Yexun respectfully inquired
"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal Surante." The commander Lan Wang opened his mouth to speak the name of this esteemed elder, "The situation is as follows..." He briefly introduced the predicament currently faced by the federal army, allowing Marshal Su to grasp everything in a short amount of time
It took a full ten years to gather their time..." The master Lan Wang lightly wiped his forehead with his hand and said, slightly fatigued.
"Chief of Staff!" everyone exclaimed in unison