Chapter 734: Moving the STC
The Eternal Seeker entered its predetermined route and began its voyage back to the Death World.
The warship first activated its advanced warp engines, entering a faster-than-light state in the material universe to bypass unstable regions or potential threats along known Warp routes.
After a period of smooth faster-than-light travel, under the guidance of the Navigator, the warship detached from the material universe at a relatively calm jump point and cut into the Warp.
During the voyage, Ryo spent most of his time in the captain's quarters or the laboratory, processing information streams from various parties via a data-slate.
A message arrived from the Second Avatar at the Death World base: the preliminary screening of Maine's squad's dimensional exploration records was complete, and three worlds potentially suitable as testing grounds had been marked.
The detailed information was packaged, awaiting Ryo's detailed review upon his arrival at the base.
Verification Task Force Alpha had arrived at the target mining world and completed coordination with the local Planetary Defense Force.
The task force commander sent back a preliminary report: the estimated scale of the Ork warband had reached 150,000 to 200,000 individuals. They had occupied dozens of large mine shafts and auxiliary facilities in the vast mountainous region as strongholds, and had massed a considerable number of crudely made armored vehicles, artillery, and even a small number of crude aircraft.
The local terrain was extremely complex, encompassing multiple environments including massive open-pit mines, deep and interwoven underground tunnel networks, dense mountainous woodlands, and abandoned industrial towns.
The Planetary Defense Force had mobilized over 500,000 troops for defense. Their equipment met Imperial standards, but they severely lacked heavy armored units, air superiority forces, and experienced elite troops. They were currently on the strategic defensive across the entire planetary frontline.
The task force had formulated a preliminary testing plan: different units would be deployed in phases to collect data in various terrains and under varying intensities of combat scenarios.
The first round of testing would deploy all test subjects and one hundred Titan Guards. In coordination with a regimental-sized Planetary Defense Force unit, they would launch an assault on a large cluster of outer outposts on the edge of the Ork-controlled zone, testing their basic coordination and tactical execution capabilities in mid-scale skirmishes.
Ryo reviewed the plan, approved its execution, and demanded that all combat data be recorded in as much detail as possible, including unit reaction times, weapon efficacy, tactical coordination efficiency, system stability, etc.
He then checked the progress reports for other projects aboard the Eternal Seeker.
The cultivation of the third batch of gene-seed was proceeding smoothly, the production data for the Collegia Titanica's Titan Guards was normal, and the EVA Titan production line maintained a steady pace.
On the thirteenth day of the voyage, the Navigator of the Eternal Seeker reported detecting exceptionally violent turbulence and energy vortexes in the Warp currents ahead.
Ryo immediately ordered the warship to disengage from the Warp and return to the material universe.
In realspace, the Eternal Seeker reactivated its warp engines, bypassing the dangerous Warp region at faster-than-light speeds, and then re-entered the Warp at another suitable jump point to continue its voyage.
During this time, Ryo also checked the status of the STC system.
All data indicated normality; the system operated stably under the warship's various navigational modes, and all functional modules responded as usual.
On the fifteenth day of the voyage, the Eternal Seeker disengaged from the Warp as planned, returning to the material universe on the outskirts of the Death World star system.
The warship immediately activated its warp engines to complete the final leg of the journey, sailing steadily toward the orbit of the Death World base.
The vista of the Death World star system appeared before the observation viewport.
That desolate planet hovered quietly in the void, with the newly added resource planet in the distance.
In orbit, the space stations of the Death World base and patrolling Skitarii vessels could be seen.
The Eternal Seeker passed identity verification and was granted permission to approach.
The warship docked with the main space station, and the docking bridge extended to connect.
Ryo stepped out of the bridge and onto the familiar metal deck of the Death World base.
The air circulation system brought the unique scents of the base - metal, ozone, coolant, and a hint of dust from the desolate land of the planet below.
The Second Avatar was already waiting in the docking area.
The moment their gazes met, their consciousnesses synchronized, and all information streams seamlessly connected.
Ryo's main body acquired all of the Second Avatar's memories and observation data from this period, and the Second Avatar obtained all of the main body's recent experiences and decisions.
"The base is ready to receive the STC system," the Second Avatar reported via the conscious link.
"Let's handle routine matters first," Ryo's main body replied. "Arrange a brief meeting with the heads of the various departments at the base and listen to their reports. The transfer of the STC system will take place afterward."
Over the next few hours, Ryo listened to reports from the various departments of the base.
The biological laboratory reported on the continuous research progress regarding the Predator captives: research into the secretion mechanism of the 'Yautja Prime' substance had encountered a bottleneck, requiring more precise physiological regulation methods.
The engineering department reported on the base's expansion: a new deep underground facility had been excavated, including a reinforced chamber designed specifically for storing large equipment - this was precisely prepared for the STC system.
The dimensional research team reported on the follow-up observation data of the Genesis Particle experiments, as well as the preliminary results of the control experiments conducted in the 'Genesis Valley' of Night City, confirming the purity of that dimensional environment.
Maine's squad was currently still in the Pandora world, cooperating with the Eldar representative Elandir to maintain relations with the cooperative faction of the local Na'vi, while simultaneously supervising the work of the Seekers' security squad at the RDA facilities.
Everything was nominal.
After completing the routine briefings, Ryo began arranging the transfer of the STC system.
The STC system would be transferred directly from the core compartment of the Eternal Seeker to the deep underground facility of the Death World base.
This process needed to be carried out cautiously, but did not require complex operations.
Having undergone repairs, the system itself was already a complete piece of mechanical equipment and could be moved as a whole.
He ordered the Tech-Priest team to use a heavy anti-gravity platform to extract the STC system from the core compartment of the Eternal Seeker and transfer it deep into the base via a dedicated corridor.
Skitarii squads were arranged along the corridor to provide escort and ensure security.
The transfer process proceeded smoothly.
The spherical main body of the STC system hovered smoothly on the anti-gravity platform, the patterns on its surface emitting a soft white glow.
Its mechadendrite clusters were retracted, holographic projectors powered down, and the system was in a low-power operational mode.
The system was moved into the new chamber deep within the base.
This chamber was located deep underground, surrounded by thick alloyed rock strata, and equipped with an independent energy supply, multiple Void Shield generators, physical isolation doors, and an environmental control system.
The Tech-Priests connected the system to the chamber's energy and data interfaces.
Once the connection was complete, Ryo initiated a full-power operational check of the system.
As energy input increased, the system responded normally, and all functional modules operated without issue.
The holographic projectors rebooted, casting a system status chart in the air.
"System transfer complete; all functions nominal," a Tech-Priest reported.
Ryo inspected the various readouts.
The STC system had not been affected in any way during the transfer process; all data was intact, and functional integrity remained at its original level.
He ordered the system to remain in an operational state while simultaneously beginning the secure integration of the system's database with the main cogitator array of the Death World base.
Under strict authorization controls, the base's research teams could access portions of the system's non-core data through an isolated network to accelerate related technological research.
However, he instituted strict access restrictions and encryption protocols.
Only he himself possessed the highest control privileges over the system.
Once the installation work was done, Ryo confirmed the completion of the transfer.
Now, the STC system had been safely transferred into the deep underground facilities of the Death World base.