N-A-A Chapter 45 Taking Root
Chapter 45 Taking Root
Embedded within the core module of the spaceport was the basic module purchased from Lucis. Enpu walked in, stood beside the module, and the field expanded, instantly engulfing the entire module with a spherical perception radius of over twenty meters. It wasn't dismantling the entire module, but rather dismantling its space anchoring device.
The module's outer shell was peeled away layer by layer at the atomic level, revealing the fist-sized device at its core. The outer shell was made of adamantite, and the internal structure was so complex it was chilling. The direction of the energy conduits, the arrangement of the crystal structure, the winding angle of the magnetic field confinement coils—every detail was completely different from the conventional equipment he had dismantled from the Imperial wreck's warehouse.
This is an STC standard part.
During the Imperial Age, the number of operational STCs was virtually unknown. Restoring STC fragments or the templates used within them was paramount in the Mechanicus's pursuit of knowledge. Generation after generation of information loss made it increasingly difficult for Tech-Priests to comprehend the fundamental scientific knowledge behind STCs. Those routine operations, long since reduced to rituals, saw Tech-Priests mechanically chanting hymns, applying holy oil, and pressing runes engraved with activation runes to awaken the devices; many were unaware of the processes involved.
However, within the Mechanicus-dominated forge world system, only a handful of forge worlds are capable of independently producing such spaceport modules. The Empire has thousands of forge worlds scattered throughout the galaxy, but the Lucis forge world acquired a complete set of STC (Special Treasure Design) blueprints for spaceport modules thousands of years ago through some means—not fragments, not incomplete hard copies, but a complete technological legacy capable of continuous production. Lucis is one of the few forge worlds to have mastered this technology, numbering only a handful of a few dozen. To this end, Lucis established a dedicated spaceport module production line, continuously shipping them to various star systems within the Empire.
Enp didn't know how Lucis had obtained the STC. He only knew that he had bought scrapped control panels, cracked shell fragments, and even a half-melted space anchoring device from a junk dealer—it was that fragment that gave him a rough idea of its outline before he even started. The fragments could give him direction, but without cross-referencing a certain number of fragments, it was impossible to obtain the complete blueprint.
The decomposition command was issued. Within seconds, the fist-sized device dissolved into a cloud of atoms, flooding into the warehouse. Simultaneously, a complete set of information on the material composition unfolded in his consciousness—the crystal structure of the adamantine shell, the material formula of the internal energy conduits, the winding parameters of the magnetic field generating coils, and the logic gate arrangement of the control chip. Everything was meticulously archived.
He obtained the blueprints for the space anchoring device. From now on, under normal circumstances, he would no longer need to purchase them from the Forging World; as long as he had atomic matter, he could create them himself. The "lost puzzle" that the sages of the Imperial Mechanicus had spent countless lifetimes trying to piece together was nothing more than a process of disassembling instructions before him. Those STCs, enshrined high deep within the Great Library and capable of igniting wars between the Forging Worlds, were merely fragments; he alone completed the archiving.
Of course, this blueprint is a black box. He can copy it, he can graft it onto other structures, but he cannot deduce its operating principles, nor can he improve its performance. It comes from STC, and STC is a black box to the Empire, just as it is to him, a walking STC. The only difference is that they need generations of time and the authority to dismantle an STC to piece together a decent blueprint, while he only needs a second.
But that's enough. The only way to escape poverty and weakness is to transform oneself into a tireless, living STC.
Enp opened his eyes. The module he had disassembled was gone, but the spaceport's structural framework remained—the space anchoring devices of the other modules were still functioning normally. He retrieved atoms from the warehouse and, according to the blueprints he had just obtained, reshaped a completely new space anchoring device. The outer shell was made of adamantite, and every energy conduit and magnetic field coil inside was identical to the original. Activated, the device emitted a deep hum, and the force field re-expanded, firmly locking the spaceport in place.
Enpu spent several days making initial expansions to the spaceport. It was currently more than sufficient for the transit of people and supplies.
Standing on the bulletproof glass observation platform of the office building, overlooking the spaceport below, just three days ago there was only a metal skeleton anchored in the void, three berths, and a solitary signal tower. Now, it has transformed into a nascent space infrastructure complex.
The field moved with him, its radius of over twenty meters, like a lamp silently operating in a vacuum. On the first day, the warehouse area grew from the framework, with sixty-two large cargo holds arranged in three rows, covering the entire area behind the core section. On the second day, the office building, communication arrays, and defense framework took shape in succession, the transmission power of the four large communication arrays sufficient to cover the entire star system. On the third day, the hangar was expanded, and the spacecraft were positioned in their berths.
The six-kilometer-long building stretches along a central axis. The core section is in the very center, with four large berths extending to each side, large enough to accommodate eight cruiser-class vessels simultaneously. The sixty-two cargo holds in the warehouse area are piled high with supplies he had prepared in advance over the past few days—food, water purification tablets, medical kits, thermal blankets, and building materials. The office building stands above the core section, a three-story structure with a gray-black terracotta steel exterior. The first floor houses the communications and dispatch center, the second the management and control room, and the third an observation platform. Administrative staff are already positioned behind the windows on the first floor, awaiting the arrival of the first batch of immigrants.
The plasma reactor occupies a separate hardened section aft of the core module, its output power stable at design values. A low-frequency hum from the cooling pipes emanates from the bulkhead, like the breathing of some behemoth. Communication arrays line the edge of the spaceport, four large towers, each with its own independent fusion cell and signal amplifier, sufficient to cover the entire Galos system. The array's indicator lights flash alternately in the darkness, maintaining real-time data exchange with the Thinker Array.
The weapon systems are all in place. Ninety-six Firefly III floating cannons are scattered around the spaceport, serving as close-range firepower. They can suppress attacks both outwards and inwards. The ellipsoidal bases rotate slowly in the vacuum, their plasma nozzles leaving long, thin blue trails, all under the unified control of the Thinker Array. Twelve macro cannons are fixed to adamantite armor bases, their barrels pointing into deep space, serving as relay fire platforms. Projectiles loaded with warheads are housed in automatic loading machines inside the bases. Six Void Shield generators are embedded in the bulkheads surrounding the core area, each covering a sector, with no blind spots where the force fields overlap. As for the actual channel defense platform, it is still in the planning and design stage.
The hangar area, located on the other side of the core section, is several times larger than before, with hundreds of rail transit berths neatly arranged. Shuttles, transport aircraft, and large transport ships stand by in the berths. Shuttles are used for passenger transport, while the cargo holds of transport aircraft and large transport ships will be the main force for future migration and cargo transportation.
The servants are already at their respective posts, ready to go.
Nearly a hundred combat-class servants, fully armed with heavy explosive guns and multi-barrel lasers, patrol the spaceport's various entrances, corridors, and key nodes. When foreign ships dock, the armed servants will line up at the gangway to "greet" them, ensuring that everyone boarding makes the most sensible choice after seeing the arms replaced by heavy weapons.
Administrative servants, dressed in simple dark gray robes with binary code plates sewn on their chests and speakers mounted on their heads, are stationed at the windows, dispatch rooms, and communications centers of the office building, facing data boards and Thinker terminals, handling trivial tasks such as material registration, berth scheduling, and communications relay management.
All the servants' core management systems were uniformly integrated into the Thinker Array. Enpu stood in front of the array, brought up the management interface, and grouped them according to their functions: the Spaceport Security Group consisted of combat-type servants, stationed at various entrances and hubs for 24/7 shifts; the Spaceport Service Group consisted of administrative-type servants, independently handling daily reception, registration, verification, and scheduling work. Each group was given detailed task instructions and execution logic, covering almost all possible scenarios, from arrival identification, berth allocation, and material inventory to departure records, communication relay, and emergency response strategies.
The beetle-like servants were still at work. They moved precisely between the spaceport's outer shell and prefabricated components, welding, fastening, and assembling, fixing various sizes of profiles and modules in their designated positions. The Thinker Array took over the scheduling of all expansion tasks—the expansion blueprints had been entered, the prefabricated components were stacked in dedicated sections of the warehouse, and the array directed these silent metal beetles in stages according to the pre-set blueprints. More berths would be added, and more warehouses would be added.
The spaceport's warehouse area is also filled with spare supplies—in addition to large quantities of food and water prepared for the immigrants, there are various pre-built components: spare energy conduits, sealing rings, circuit boards, optical lenses, coolant tanks, and even several complete spare cores for plasma reactors.
Enp sat down on a bench on the observation platform. His power armor emitted a short servo hum as its joints bent. He pulled his hood up, clasped his hands over his stomach, and leaned back in the chair. Several days of work had exhausted him physically, but his mental clarity remained within acceptable limits.
The spaceport continues to expand. The beetle servants continue their silent climb, the administrative servants continue tapping on their data panels, and the combat servants continue their silent vigil at the passageway intersections. The blue contrails of the floating cannons streak across the darkness, the barrels of the macro cannons gleam coldly under the starlight, and the force field of the void shield continues to unfold on a level imperceptible to anyone.
Consciousness detached from this body, receding like a tide, and instantly surged into Cohen's body through a higher-dimensional anchor point.