With their orders given, the leaders nodded in unison before vanishing from the room. Some teleported directly to their stations, while others began preparations for their new deployments. Each moved with purpose, ready to fulfill their duties.
As the last of them disappeared, Kallus turned to the Red Empress. "Red Empress, open the mission interface and display it to me."
"Of course, Master," the Red Empress replied. She raised her hand, and a semi-transparent holographic screen materialized before Kallus.
While the interface loaded, Kallus leaned back in his chair, his thoughts drifting to the wealth of technology stored in the ship's database. He had originally collected these designs and data during his time playing the simulation game back on Earth. Many of the technologies were extraordinarily rare—some estimated to be 10,000 years ahead of Earth's current level.
What amazed him most was not just the sheer advancement of these technologies but the level of detail in their documentation. It was clear to him that the unknown Supreme Being who brought him here had ensured the data remained intact. Without it, his visit to Earth and plans for the future would have been severely hindered. Among these invaluable treasures was a crucial gene upgrade serum, a breakthrough that could enhance human potential far beyond its natural limits.
Kallus's musings were interrupted by the Red Empress's calm voice. "Master, the mission interface is ready. Here are the current objectives."
Two mission prompts appeared on the holographic screen:
Create and Maintain a Fleet of At Least 14 Ships Within 45 Days
Time Limit: 1 Month, 15 Days
Establish Contact with Earth Within 2 Months
Kallus narrowed his eyes as he studied the missions. The first was a clear challenge, requiring swift and efficient fleet production. The Antares-Class Battleships were only the beginning—additional ships would need to be designed and built quickly to meet the deadline.
The second mission was equally crucial, but its ambiguity troubled him. The lack of detail about the nature of the contact or the specific rewards left much to interpretation. Yet, it was clear both missions were interconnected. Building the fleet would establish his power, while making contact with Earth would lay the groundwork for recruiting people and resources.
He smiled faintly, the spark of determination lighting his gaze. "Red Empress," he said, "record these missions and integrate their timelines into the fleet's overall objectives. We'll fulfill them both. Failure is not an option."
The Red Empress nodded. "Understood, Master. The mission parameters have been logged, and the fleet's schedule will be adjusted accordingly."
Kallus rose from his seat, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. The path ahead was daunting, but he felt a sense of exhilaration. This was the beginning of something extraordinary, a journey that would test his resolve, ingenuity, and leadership.
"Let's get to work," he said, his voice resolute.
The Red Empress inclined her head. "As you command, Master."
As Kallus refocused his thoughts, the rest of the ship's crew was already hard at work. Evans, the Fleet's Resource and Industrial Head, wasted no time deploying the ship's automated mining equipment. Within just two hours, nearly 300 units were scattered across nearby asteroids. The machinery, fully autonomous and highly efficient, began extracting vast quantities of raw materials, including titanium, tungsten, iron, steel, gold, platinum, and even the rare tetrataenite alloy.
Within thirty minutes of deployment, hundreds of thousands of tons of raw materials had been delivered to the ship's massive refineries. Operating at full capacity, the refineries processed approximately 28–30 million tons of pure metals in just half a day. This staggering output was sufficient to begin constructing two Antares-Class Battleships, as each required around 15 million tons of material.
However, construction wouldn't commence immediately. The R&D department needed to analyze the harvested materials and develop a new alloy to enhance the ship's durability and efficiency. With the ship's unparalleled computational power, simulations and testing were completed within minutes.
Just as Kallus anticipated, the team announced their breakthrough within half an hour. They had developed a new alloy—a perfect blend of tetrataenite, titanium, and tungsten. The alloy was named Tetniten, a marvel of engineering that combined exceptional strength, lightweight properties, and resistance to extreme conditions.
The refineries quickly switched to producing Tetniten based on the specifications provided by the R&D team. Once the alloy was ready, it was teleported directly to the inner shipyard storage facilities. There, the advanced Dark Molecular Printers—capable of constructing entire starships layer by layer with molecular precision—were activated.
The printers began fabricating the hulls and critical components of two new Antares-Class Battleships, working tirelessly to bring the designs to life. Despite the impressive speed and efficiency of the process, Kallus was well aware that these ships would not match the quality of the two existing Antares ships. The original pair were crafted with superior materials and enhanced with advanced upgrades that the current resources couldn't replicate.
Still, these new ships would serve as a formidable addition to his growing fleet. As Kallus monitored the progress from the command center, he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. The construction of his fleet was underway, and with every step, his plans inched closer to fruition.
While the fleet's operations proceeded seamlessly, Kallus kept himself equally occupied. Using the ship's advanced Deep Sleep Learning Module, he embarked on a journey to absorb the vast repository of technological knowledge stored within the ship's systems.
The Deep Sleep Learning Module was a remarkable device, enabling knowledge assimilation at ten times normal speed during sleep. Each night, Kallus immersed himself in this accelerated learning process, his subconscious mind processing layers of data and complex concepts. The Red Empress monitored his progress closely, ensuring everything remained on schedule and providing evening briefings to keep him updated on the ship's operations.
Despite the efficiency of the system, Kallus quickly realized the enormity of the task. Even after a full month of intensive sessions, he had barely assimilated 25% of the knowledge and technologies stored within the database. Some technologies were so advanced they felt almost incomprehensible, pushing the boundaries of his intellect and understanding.