"The Zaku 02 won't be ready to roll anytime soon," Doraemon said, shaking his head. "We've got too many irons in the fire."
The Doraemon Workshop has blown up and is now a powerhouse. They've got their own factories up and running in places like the Lycard Space Station and the Tyrian Hive.
They even recruited a handful of Magos to develop new products. It's not the mom-and-pop shop it used to be. Their business now covers both the military and civilian markets.
For instance, the SCV Engineering Vehicle they launched a while back is flying off the shelves and is hard to keep in stock. The SCV is an idea Doraemon and Graywolfe ripped straight out of StarCraft.
It uses an adsorption-type crawler chassis, allowing it to move freely in zero-G environments. It's equipped with self-circulating air, temperature control, emergency medical, and other life support systems, plus enough nutrient solution to last two weeks, making space-based engineering work possible. The vehicle packs a power drill, a multifunctional robotic arm, and laser cutting and welding modules for mining and facility maintenance.
Of course, Doraemon and the players only provide the ideas; the Mechanicus Order handles the actual technology and specifications.
"I really thought the Zaku 02 would debut at the Battle of Macragge!" Rigby said, feeling a little regretful.
The Zaku 02 Titan is the latest project the Workshop has been tackling, boasting better mobility, shields, and firepower. Being able to pilot it would give the Hammer and Sickle Chapter the confidence they needed to jump into the Macragge fight.
"It needs R&D, then testing. How can we turn it around that fast?!" Doraemon also wanted the Zaku 02 to make a splash at the battle to further promote the Workshop's growth, but his hands were tied. On the road of science and technology, he knew they could only take things one step at a time; they couldn't go from zero to sixty overnight.
"How about this: I'll help you modify the Zaku 01 to enhance its firepower and shields."
Rigby thought it over and agreed to the proposal. The Doraemon Workshop works fast. Within a few days, the enhanced Zaku 01 Titan was ready, with qualitative improvements across firepower, mobility, and shielding.
"This time, I'm gunning for the top spot!" After testing the Zaku 01, Rigby was bursting with confidence. He had been shut out of the Punishment Fleet battle; this time, he was going to bag the MVP.
In the Void, Daniel stood on the bridge of the Imperial Glory, looking out at the asteroid belt in the distance through the observation window. It had become a massive human mining operation.
After precise calculations, a colossal Void Factory stood at the midpoint closest to each mining area. Ships carrying minerals flew between the factories and mining areas, delivering resources to the assembly lines at precise intervals.
In the mining areas, miners operated SCV engineering vehicles, crushing the surfaces of meteoroids to unearth hidden minerals. Swarms of drones worked like industrious worker bees, sorting the mined materials. On some of the largest meteorites, mining robots equipped with cutting machines were anchored like barnacles, their cutting torches blazing with blue flame.
The mined minerals were sent to the Void Factory by transport ships. After a series of complex processes, the materials were turned into metal ingots. These ingots, still radiating residual heat right off the assembly line, were loaded onto transport boats and delivered to the Imperial Glory.
On the transport deck, Servitors and crew members unloaded batches of metal ingots, sending them toward the ship's core. Arale then broke down the piles of metal into streams of light that sank into the vessel.
The hull structure was changing right before their eyes, constantly stretching, extending, and reshaping. The Imperial Glory, originally five kilometers long, grew into an eight-kilometer heavy cruiser after swallowing a huge amount of metal. This length was enough to rival some of the Empire's smaller battleships.
In addition to improving the hull's armor and size, Arale also upgraded the various systems within. The Light Spear Matrix, Macro Cannons, and Auspice Array all saw an increase of 15% to 30%. Overall, the Imperial Glory's performance was far more powerful than that of ordinary battleships. It had speed, firepower, and defense—a real triple threat with excellent mobility.
After the upgrade was complete, Daniel gave the order to load 'em up and prepare to bolt to Macragge's aid. They cleared out the armories of every hive city on Atomal. General Sha(short for Shalatath) would accompany Daniel as the fleet commander.
The two thousand Astartes, created from player gene-seed—roughly two full regiments—were also awakened. The only kicker was that they were all new recruits. These two thousand were just the first batch; a large number of Quasi-Astartes who had not yet completed the nineteen genetic operations were still sleeping in various breeding bases.
Everything was ready. Daniel said goodbye to Losa, Fax, and the others responsible for holding down the fort and led the fleet on the journey to Macragge.
The fleet assembled and flew toward Mandeville Point outside the heliosphere. Only from there could they safely jump into the Warp.
This was the first time for the players to enter deep space. They curiously leaned over the portholes, peering out at the starry sky.
"Are we entering the Warp?"
"This is my first time experiencing faster-than-light travel!"
"How about we leave a window open and see what the Warp looks like?"
The lengths to which players would go to mess around was beyond belief. Fortunately, Arale was in control of the entire fleet. Even if players wanted to find trouble, they couldn't catch a break.
The Geller Field device was humming, and the Psyker being used as a battery was fixed to a mechanical device, his body trembling uncontrollably. With the whine of the machinery, the Geller field covered the entire ship, establishing a reality anchor.
A deafening BOOM!
The ship's church bells tolled.
The Imperial Glory tore a Warp rift at Mandeville Point and rushed into the Warp with the rest of the fleet.
Upon entering the Warp, Daniel clearly felt the Emperor's Will guiding him. He felt like he was a fish in water entering the Warp, almost as if he was coming home. This made him think of the famous saying about talented people: those guys in the Warp are all geniuses, and going back to the Warp is like going home.
Under the Emperor's guidance, Belisarius Cawl and his people were like a blinking neon sign in the dark, sticking out like a sore thumb in Daniel's perception. Daniel guided the navigator, directing the fleet according to his instructions.
The fleet was fast, slicing through Warp storms that would have been a death sentence for others, and blazing a trail through the unpredictable ocean of the High Heavens.
It took five days for the fleet to arrive at a world called Woles. With the help of the Emperor's revelation, Daniel knew that a Webway gate was right here. An ordinary human ship certainly wouldn't be able to use the Webway, but Daniel had Arale.
Arale used the power of the C'tan to force open the Webway entrance to the world of Volus. The shattered ruins of Eldar cities still lined the Webway, and the shadow of Chaos Daemons still lurked in the ruins.
Under the Emperor's guidance and protection, the fleet safely navigated the complex Webway, heading straight for Macragge.
Two more days passed.
The fleet ran right into Belisarius Cawl and his crew, who were in the thick of it inside the Webway, being besieged by several Chaos warlords and their Daemons. Among them was Lucius the Immortal, the guy Daniel had seen in his dreams.