Super Mothership
After the meeting, Gillard kept Beckman back alone.
He looked at the heroic and spirited Beckman, nodded with satisfaction, and gradually showed a faint smile.
“The deduction you just made was very valuable. I’ll report it to the council under your name, haha! As expected of the junior Lord Victor values so highly—you have not brought shame to the Victor family.”
Just like the Cruze and Assad families, the ancient families of the Gemini usually ignored personal names for each generation’s head, addressing them only by the family name. Councilor Victor was the current head of the Victor family.
And Victor Beckman was the direct heir of the Victor family—Councilor Victor’s own grandson.
“You flatter me, Lord Gillard.”
“Haha! By the way, how is Lord Victor’s health these days?”
“Grandfather is in good health. I heard that not long ago, he married his eighth new wife—one not even twenty years old.” Beckman shrugged.
“Uh… cough, cough! Lord Victor’s vigor is truly enviable…”
With a cough, Gillard shifted the topic. “Have you gotten familiar with the work in the General Staff Department? How are you getting along with your colleagues?”
“Compared to staff work, I prefer fighting on the frontlines. As for those colleagues, heh… they’re worthless mediocrities, not worth my time.” Beckman sneered with disdain.
Hearing such arrogance, Gillard did not get angry. Instead, his gaze carried a trace of appreciation.
Those with real ability had the right to be proud. Only the weak needed to act humble. With Beckman’s talent and status, modesty would only make others look down on him.
Besides, Gillard naturally knew what the General Staff Department was like—nothing but a place for second-generation officials and rich brats to burnish their résumés. Who could expect a true phoenix to emerge from there?
**“Lord Victor is also thinking of your safety. The reinforcements from the rear will soon arrive, and then we will seize the opportunity to launch probing counterattacks. The security situation near the frontlines will improve.
At that time, I will persuade Lord Victor to let you command a fleet on your own.”**
“Thank you, Lord Gillard!”
“No need to thank me. The honor and merit of the Sea Clan have always been won through war! Besides, you are a rare commanding talent among our people—I simply don’t want to see such talent wasted.
The Winged Clan has an abundance of gifted leaders; our Sea Clan must not fall behind!”
Political power must always be supported by military power—this was a principle true everywhere. The Victor family and General Gillard formed precisely such a politico-military alliance.
Gillard’s support for Beckman was not only because of this alliance but also because he truly valued him and hoped to nurture a rising star for the Sea Clan.
After all… the Sea Clan had plenty of warriors, but when it came to using their heads in war, they were far fewer than the Winged Clan.
“I hear this time the reinforcements include outstanding officers from various star regions? I hope they won’t disappoint me!” Beckman said with a smile and a touch of anticipation.
“Haha! Anyone sent to the battlefield for training at this stage is surely a seed carefully cultivated by their families. Modor of the Columman family, Ishar of the Assad family—both are young officers of considerable talent. You mustn’t underestimate the heroes of the world!”
“Speaking of heroes of the world, Lord Gillard, have you heard of Arthas of the Cruze family? Before I came here, I often heard his name in the central star systems.
In a remote starfield like the Neighboring System, that councilor’s son certainly stirred up quite a commotion.” Beckman remarked with interest.
“That Arthas? Haha! Yes, his name is on the list of officers sent this time. Our Councilor Cruze thinks quite highly of him.
But aside from his silver tongue, I’ve yet to hear of any achievements he’s made on the battlefield. In my opinion, he’s better suited to be a politician like Councilor Cruze!” Gillard sneered coldly with open disdain.
Of course, Gillard had seen the intelligence about the other war the Gemini were fighting in distant star regions. Like most of the Sea Clan, he had little fondness for Arthas, who in a sense had risen by stepping on the Sea Clan.
On one hand, the Gustav betrayal incident, after festering for a while, had indeed dealt a blow to the reputation of the Sea Clan’s military.
The higher-ups of the Sea Clan did their utmost to cover it up, deny the betrayal, and claim there must have been hidden circumstances.
But with no evidence—since Gustav and all witnesses at the time had been blasted to pieces by Isabel’s Winged Clan fleet—they had no way to investigate even if they wanted to.
In order to clear their own names, some Sea Clan officers let their imaginations run wild, even linking Gustav’s betrayal to Arthas!
The two of them had clashed more than once in the past, though by now hardly anyone could explain the details clearly. But in the end, Gustav’s most beloved mecha had been taken by Arthas, and Gustav himself was repeatedly reprimanded by the military because of it…
A string of half-true clues, under the power of repeated gossip, gradually evolved into a story straight out of a “Lin Chong forced into rebellion” script.
Such things couldn’t withstand close scrutiny, but a few rumors and whispers were enough to make Arthas’s already poor reputation among the Sea Clan even worse.
Caught in the crossfire, Arthas’s reputation across the entire Sea Clan plummeted—-100 to favorability—successfully turning relations cold…
On the other hand, Arthas’s political stance was naturally opposed to Gillard’s.
If the Cruze-led Winged Clan was the ruling party of the Gemini, then the Victor-led Sea Clan was the opposition.
As a stakeholder of the opposition, Gillard naturally had no goodwill toward the ruling party leader’s pampered son.
Beckman just smiled and quickly ended the topic.
However, Gillard’s evaluation of Arthas somehow spread afterward. And so, before Arthas even arrived, he had already gained an utterly derogatory nickname: “the Politician in the Army.”
…
“Achoo!” Arthas sneezed.
He rubbed his nose. “Strange… this clone body’s constitution isn’t that weak. Could it be a stress reaction from passing through the wormhole?”
Just moments ago, the Fallen Angel had officially passed through the Neighboring System wormhole and entered the Barsero System—territory of the Gemini’s Caldari Star Region!
According to the star maps, this was a full 48 light-years from the Solar System. The thing Nie Yun had worried about ultimately hadn’t happened: the mechanical bugs were still perfectly under his control.
The maximum communication range of the mechanical bugs had once again been verified and extended!
After the Gemini Council issued its orders, the replacement fleet soon arrived. Three days later, after completing the handover with Isabel and the others, Arthas received a new mission… to follow Isabel to the Wolf Civilization’s wormhole defense line!
This was the third star system Nie Yun had set foot in, and his first time venturing deep into Gemini’s heartland.
Right from the start, the Gemini gave him a show of force.
As soon as they passed through the wormhole, what came into view were over a hundred ships—not just warships, but also a huge number of engineering and construction vessels.
Countless engineering mechs and automated robots bustled about like ants, ceaselessly carrying out cosmic-scale construction, building massive wormhole defenses.
“Heh, they really are taking me seriously.” Nie Yun shook his head with a bitter smile.
Everything had pros and cons. The overwhelming combat power shown by the “Ant Empire” made the Gemini wary, forcing them to prepare carefully, pouring resources into defensive fortifications just in case.
Trying to seize wormhole control with a surprise strike, like last time? Merely turning one Gustav wasn’t nearly enough. Conservatively, it would take at least ten of them…
Unfortunately, there was no chance for Nie Yun to “get close and take a look” this time. After entering the Barsero System, the fleet immediately plunged into a nearby blue “lightway” that stretched across dozens of kilometers.
As soon as they entered the lightway, the Fallen Angel shuddered lightly, its speed visibly jumping up a notch—and continuing to accelerate.
“So this is the ‘Interstellar Expressway’? Quite practical. Might be worth bringing one back…” Nie Yun muttered to himself, rubbing his chin.
From the intelligence Nie Yun had gathered, this was a dedicated acceleration corridor for starships—a “cosmic highway” built by the Gemini for long-distance travel.
At the far end of the “Interstellar Expressway” lay the central star of the Barsero System.
Near the star, an enormous metal structure resembling the Eiffel Tower stood in geostationary orbit. Countless blue light-points converged from the star, then shot out through the tower’s peak, forming a “corridor” that spanned the entire star system.
This massive “gravity generator” could amplify gravitational pull in a specific direction, providing extra propulsion for spacecraft, saving both fuel and travel time. It was essentially a colossal “tractor beam.”
Traveling along this “highway,” Nie Yun had his detection systems fully activated, carefully gathering all sorts of intelligence about the Barsello system.
This was a system the Gemini civilization was vigorously developing. Apart from the life-bearing planet on the fifth orbit, traces of artificial construction could also be found on the other planets and in strategically favorable regions of space.
Countless transport ships moved to and fro, giving the whole system an impression of bustling prosperity within its silence.
And this was only a remote system on the borders of Gemini’s territory. How much more magnificent and dazzling must the central systems—the ones with the oldest history of construction—be? Nie Yun couldn’t help but feel a quiet yearning.
“Di-di~” At that moment, his communicator beeped.
Nie Yun glanced at it and answered. Isabel’s projection appeared before him.
“Lady Isabel!”
“Mm! Arthas, I’m here to inform you: your Third Fleet no longer needs to head to its new garrison. Instead, follow us directly to the station near the Wolf Civilization’s wormhole!”
“Huh?” Nie Yun was momentarily stunned. That didn’t match the original plan.
“So you mean… our entire Pioneer Legion is being sent to the Wolf Civilization’s wormhole?” Nie Yun asked in puzzlement.
Normally, even if a battlefield required reinforcements, the fleets would be drawn from nearby systems. Large-scale redeployments across star sectors were something to avoid if possible.
“Yes. The Council has decided to accelerate reinforcements at the Wolf wormhole. The situation there has changed, and we no longer have time to regroup and adapt with new subordinates.
Moreover, since it’s possible our fleet still has spies from the ‘Unity of All Things’ group, the military has decided, after much consideration, to send all of us directly to the front.”
Nie Yun gave a small “oh” and nodded.
Clearly the frontlines were under heavy pressure. Gemini had to dispatch more fleets to confront the Wolf Civilization, and so this Pioneer Legion—still untested and not fully trusted—was being pushed forward as cannon fodder.
The plan of having the Third Fleet establish a “branch base” within Gemini territory instantly went up in smoke.
“Additionally, I must remind you: the Gallente Sector is the traditional domain of the Sea Clan. The Supreme Commander there, Grand General Gilard, is no simple man.
When we arrive, don’t expect much preferential treatment. You’d best prepare yourself mentally, especially—don’t act too ostentatiously!” Isabel warned with a serious expression.
Not simple? In other words—not too friendly?
All the better. I was worried being too cozy would make it harder to act. Nie Yun chuckled inwardly.
“Please rest assured, Lady Isabel. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that my low-key nature is inborn!”
“Hehe…”
TL Note- Lowkey?
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