After Hexi left, the Silver Moon Observatory returned to tranquility. But Artoria's heart could not be calm for a long time. A combat celestial body! A super platform designed entirely by her, embodying her personal philosophy and technology! This thought was like a pebble thrown into the lake of her heart, stirring up layers of inspiration.
She and Minerva returned to the observation deck, snuggling on the soft sofa. The Nebula outside the window flowed slowly, quiet and magnificent, but a fierce brainstorming session was taking place in Artoria's mind.
"Minerva," she turned sideways, looking at her lover with shining eyes, "I have a somewhat different idea about the combat celestial body."
"Hmm? Tell me about it." Minerva naturally pulled her closer, making her lean more comfortably, her fingers idly combing through her smooth hair, her eyes gazing tenderly at her cheeks that were slightly flushed with excitement.
"I'm thinking..." Artoria organized her language, trying to clearly express her somewhat jumpy thoughts, "Traditional combat celestial bodies, like Teacher's Sky-based series, Queen Keisha's Heavens Blade series, they are themselves super warships that integrate command, combat, living, and scientific research. They are mobile fortresses and strategic fulcrums, right?"
"Right." Minerva nodded. When she was learning about the Angel Civilization, she was deeply impressed by these iconic and powerful creations.
"They are strong, very strong." Artoria continued, her eyes flashing with a thoughtful light, "But their strength is built on their massive size, complex systems, massive amounts of energy, and the basis of needing numerous Angels to operate and maintain them. They are more like... a combination of a super weapon platform and a mobile Base, the core of legion combat."
"What is your idea?" Minerva vaguely grasped something.
"My idea is..." Artoria sat up straight, her tone becoming serious and full of longing, "I don't really want to build a 'colossus' like that which needs to rush to the front line. The knowledge system I brought is more inclined towards... how should I put it, a type that is efficient, modular, and capable of rapid troop production. I am better at manufacturing various combat units, from micro-reconnaissance aircraft to giant mechs, from automatic defense turrets to strategic bombing units... If there is a powerful production Base and resource backing, I can pull up a sizable mechanical legion in a short time."
She spoke faster and faster, and her thoughts became clearer: "So, I'm thinking, why must we let a behemoth that integrates all functions go to the front line to take risks? Can we... separate the functions?"
"Separate?"
"Yes! My 'combat celestial body', or rather, my 'mobile Base', I would rather call it 'hyperion'." A trace of nostalgia flashed in Artoria's eyes; it was the name of an interstellar warship from a great project in her hometown, carrying exploration and hope. "I hope 'hyperion' will mainly take on the roles of logistics, production, R&D, living, and... a strategic fire support platform. It doesn't need to have the strongest individual combat capability, nor does it need to be at the very front. It should stay in the relatively safe second line or even the rear."
"Then what about combat?" Minerva asked, having already vaguely guessed Artoria's answer.
"Combat, leave it to me and the legion I create." Artoria's voice carried an unprecedented confidence and edge, "I myself can be seen as a'super combat unit' that is highly enhanced and equipped with various top-tier individual weapons. And my Dark Plane, or a portable space opened up through special technology, can store massive amounts of modular combat machinery—scout swarms, attack drones, escort mechs, heavy turrets... even large war machines assembled on the spot."
Her eyes became brighter and brighter: "During combat, I can deploy suitable combat units from the 'warehouse' at any time according to the battlefield situation. Reconnaissance, harassment, assault, defense, encirclement... drown the enemy with absolute numbers and reasonable troop coordination! And 'hyperion' is in the rear, on one hand providing me with continuous resource supply, equipment repair, and production; on the other hand, it can carry large-caliber railguns, large-area energy bombardment arrays, or special 'map-clearing' weapons. When it is necessary to clear the battlefield, deal with dense enemies, or target fixed objectives, it will carry out heavy fire coverage and carpet bombing!"
"Simply put," Artoria summarized, "I am taking the 'one-man army' elite troop plus 'rapid troop production' route, while 'hyperion' is my super logistics Base and strategic artillery platform. We support each other, but the division of labor is clear. It doesn't need to have complex melee and mobility; use the saved space and resources to pile everything into production speed, resource reserves, and ship-borne heavy firepower!"
Minerva listened quietly, her eyes shining with brilliance. She was not a military strategist, but she could understand the uniqueness and potential power of this approach. Combining extreme individual enhancement with terrifying troop production capability, supplemented by stable and powerful heavy fire support from the rear... This was indeed a development path that was vastly different from the traditional Angel combat mode, but it sounded perfectly suited to Artoria's abilities.
"A very impressive idea." Minerva praised sincerely, kissing Artoria's forehead, "It sounds like you will become... a combination of a mobile war fortress and an infinite barracks on the battlefield. The enemy will no longer face a powerful individual, but an army that can expand and change infinitely at any time. And 'Hyperion' will be the inexhaustible heart and the most solid backing for this army."
"Exactly!" Artoria nodded vigorously, getting her lover's approval made her even more excited, "And, this is safer. 'Hyperion' is in the rear, protected by layers, not easily beheaded. Even if I am damaged on the front line, I can quickly retreat for supply and repair, or directly change equipment and fight again!"
"However..." Minerva thought of a question, "Large-scale use of intelligent mechanical legions seems to be rarely used in traditional Angel tactics. I remember the data mentioned that, besides worrying about being invaded and controlled by higher-level computing power, leading to turning against us, the adaptability and spirituality of intelligent machines are also usually not as good as real warriors."
"I have considered this." Artoria was obviously well-prepared, "The core control of the intelligent machines I manufacture does not rely on complex AI programs or fragile Dark Plane information communication networks. They are closer to... an extension of my will."
She pointed to her head: "My spiritual strength is very high, this is an innate talent. And in the technical system I brought, there is a unique spiritual imprint binding and resonance technology. Every combat unit I manufacture has my trace of spiritual imprint integrated into its core underlying protocol. They are not AI with independent intelligence, but carriers and tools of my will. I can directly conduct macro command and issue vague instructions to them through a special psionic link, a way of information transmission that is very different from Dark Plane information and closer to soul fluctuations, while specific tactical actions are executed by their built-in basic combat logic."
"This means," Artoria concluded, "It is almost impossible for the enemy to invade or control them through conventional information warfare means. Unless someone can directly invade and pollute my spiritual source, these intelligent machine legions will always only obey my command. As for adaptability and spirituality... when the quantity reaches a certain level and forms a cluster effect, simple instructions and basic logic, combined with my timely macro adjustments, are enough to cope with complex battle situations. Moreover, if necessary, I can also split a part of my mind to perform more precise direct control over key units."
"As for Dark Plane information communication..." Artoria smiled slyly, "We can put on a show and create some camouflage signals. The truly useful information is transmitted through the psionic link, which is fast and secure. Although the principle is completely different from the mainstream information technology of the Known Universe, the final effect can be considered as reaching the same goal by different routes, right? And, I have full control."
Minerva was completely relieved. Since Artoria had a way to solve the most fatal hidden danger, the feasibility of this path was greatly increased. "It sounds perfect. Then... how do you plan to tell Teacher Hexi?"
"Just tell her directly." Artoria blinked, "Teacher is very open-minded. Besides, I think this approach might bring some new inspiration to the Angel tactical system? At least, it is very suitable for myself!"
Saying it and doing it. Artoria immediately contacted Hexi through an encrypted channel, explaining her "one-man army + rear strategic platform" concept, including the explanation of the intelligent machine control method, in detail.
On the other end of the communication, Hexi was silent for a long time.
Even with her tens of thousands of years of experience and knowledge, she was shocked by her apprentice's wild yet logically self-consistent concept. Especially the "one-man army" and "psionic link to control intelligent machine legions" parts, which completely jumped out of the framework of the mainstream military thinking of the Known Universe.
Angels do not undervalue technology and equipment; in fact, the Angel Civilization's level of technological armament is extremely high. But the core of Angel combat is always the Angel Warriors themselves. Powerful individual qualities, tacit teamwork, firm belief, and cutting-edge equipment supported by Queen Keisha's arsenal and the Knowledge Treasury form the cornerstone of Angel's invincibility. Large-scale use of unmanned intelligent machine legions? In the eyes of Angels, this not only has the risk of being restrained by advanced information warfare but also seems to lack some "glory" and "spirituality".
But Hexi quickly grasped the key point. Artoria's concept, its core advantages lie in two non-replicable points: first, her unique industrial system that can rapidly produce troops; second, her special spiritual link control method, which fundamentally eliminates the possibility of intelligent machines being controlled and rebelling.
"The idea... is very strange, but also very interesting." Hexi's voice finally sounded again, with thinking and appreciation, "Bringing your own advantages to the extreme, playing to your strengths and avoiding weaknesses. Not taking the conventional route of frontal crushing with giant ships and cannons, but building a super logistics Base that is like an infinite barracks, combined with your own powerful survival and combat capabilities, forming a snowball-like tactical effect... Not bad, very well thought out. Especially your intelligent machine control method, if it is really as you said, then it indeed solves the biggest hidden danger."
She paused and added: "However, the specific tactical details, troop combinations, coordination with the existing Angel tactical system, and contingency plans for various extreme situations such as large-scale information interference, decapitation tactics targeting you, etc., still need to be further refined. This cannot be completed overnight; it requires a large amount of simulation deduction and actual combat testing."
"Hmm! I know, Teacher!" Artoria nodded vigorously; she knew that Hexi had approved of her direction.
"As for the positioning of 'hyperion'..." Hexi continued, "As a pure remote heavy fire support platform and logistics Base, focusing on large-scale strikes and map-clearing carpet bombing, the idea is feasible. Sacrificing mobility and melee capability in exchange for extreme firepower and production capacity is consistent with your overall strategy. However..."
Hexi changed the subject and proposed a suggestion: "Since it doesn't go directly to the front line, the security is relatively high, and the demand for energy and computing power is huge, perhaps we can build an exclusive 'computer cloud' array for you on it."
"Computer cloud?" Artoria's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Hexi explained, "It's not a celestial-level supercomputer of the level of the Sky-based Computing Cluster, but the scale is definitely far beyond a personal Dark Plane computer. It can be dedicated to processing the massive data that may be generated by your 'one-man army' system—for example, the real-time information processing, battlefield situation analysis, tactical instruction distribution, etc., required when simultaneously controlling tens of thousands or even more combat units. This can greatly reduce your personal computing burden, allowing you to focus more on strategic decisions and key operations. At the same time, it can also serve as a powerful aid for you to research and design new equipment. What do you think?"
"That's great! Teacher!" Artoria was so excited that she almost jumped up. This was simply timely help! She had been worried before that if the number of combat units controlled simultaneously was too huge, her spiritual power might be able to hold up, but the data processing capability required for fine control might become a bottleneck. With such a powerful exclusive computer cloud, this problem would be solved! "Thank you, Teacher!"
"Don't be happy too soon." Hexi's voice carried a smile, "Design drawings, resource lists, technical details, you have to come up with them yourself first. I will let the Engineering Department and Resource Department fully cooperate with you, and the Sky-based Computing Cluster will also open up partial permissions to assist your design. But ultimately, this is your 'Hyperion', this is your path. How far you can go depends on yourself, little Artoria."
"Yes! Teacher! I will definitely go all out!" Artoria was full of confidence, feeling an unprecedented motivation filling her whole body.
Hanging up the communication, Artoria turned and threw herself into Minerva's arms, her eyes shining as if hiding stars: "Minerva! Did you hear that? Teacher agreed! And gave such good advice! Our 'Hyperion' has a chance!"
Minerva gently caught her, looking at her joyful appearance, her heart full of tenderness and pride: "I heard it. My little Artoria is the most amazing."
She knew that from today on, Artoria's blueprint would no longer just be a concept on paper. A unique path belonging to the goddess of machinery and troop production was slowly unfolding. And she would always be by her side, witnessing all this, guarding all this.
"Then... shouldn't we start drawing the design drawings?" Minerva suggested with a smile.
"Yes! Draw design drawings!" Artoria jumped up from her arms and rushed to her workbench in a flurry, already muttering, "First is the main structure, it must be sturdy, modular design, easy for future upgrades and expansion... energy core, at least three redundant backups... production line zoning... hangar and launch channels... where to place the heavy firepower platform... the architecture of the computer cloud array..."
Watching her lover who instantly entered a workaholic state, Minerva shook her head helplessly and dotingly, walked to her side, sat down quietly, and prepared to provide her support and suggestions at any time.
The lights of the Silver Moon Observatory shone for another whole night for this pair of lovers walking hand in hand. And the initial lines of a legendary ark named "Hyperion" were slowly emerging on this blueprint full of hope and love.
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