Star Wars: Empire of the Eternal Star

{Chapter: 2 There's something wrong with this mothership!}

The hatch hissed open, revealing a sterile white corridor illuminated by soft green indicator lights. They pulsed rhythmically, guiding Leo toward the elevator that would take him to the bridge. The nurse stationed at the medical bay door glanced up as he stepped out, her expression unreadable. Without a word, she turned on her heel and hurried back inside to clean up.

Throughout the corridor, an automated announcement echoed, its calm mechanical tone filling the silence.

[The Administrator has awakened. All personnel in each unit, please resume your assigned duties... The Administrator has awakened...]

Despite the broadcast, the ship remained eerily quiet, devoid of the expected bustling activity. The massive halls felt empty, almost lifeless. It wasn't until Leo had walked a considerable distance that he finally encountered two soldiers standing at attention by the elevator. Dressed in crisp black uniforms, their posture was rigidly disciplined, exuding a trained professionalism.

Upon spotting Leo, they saluted in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"Administrator! Welcome to the bridge level, sir!"

The sudden formality caught Leo off guard. He hesitated before offering a slight nod in response awkwardly. The moment he did, the soldiers puffed out their chests, standing even straighter as if his acknowledgment had filled them with pride.

The elevator ride to the bridge level took nearly ten minutes. Fortunately, the interior wasn't just an empty metal box—there was a large screen displaying various system reports, real-time footage of the ship's exterior, and even an entertainment feed. A smaller terminal sat embedded in the wall, presumably allowing access to work-related functions.

Still, Leo had no idea what to do with it.

As the doors slid open, he stepped into a vast, high-ceilinged hall. A pair of guards flanked the entrance, their faces impassive. The moment they saw him, they saluted sharply, standing even more rigidly than the previous pair.

At the heart of the bridge, a massive holographic star map flickered to life. The projection covered most of the room, yet vast portions of it remained shrouded in darkness, displaying only a handful of recognizable celestial bodies.

Rows of sleek control consoles lined the bridge, each station equipped with interfaces likely meant for navigation, communications, weapons systems, and more. The area was designed for hundreds of crew members to operate in tandem, but at the moment, only a handful of personnel were present—barely a dozen people moving between stations.

As soon as Leo entered, the entire room moved as one.

"Administrator!" Every person stood and saluted in perfect synchronization, their voices ringing through the chamber.

Leo exhaled, nodding in response before turning his attention to the breathtaking sight beyond the massive panoramic observation window.

A planet loomed before them.

It was nothing like Earth. While Earth was a vibrant blue with swirling white clouds, this world was predominantly green—blanketed by an endless sea of vegetation. Wisps of white cloud formations hovered along the atmosphere's upper layers, indicating a stable, breathable environment.

But the most striking feature wasn't this planet—it was the colossal celestial body dominating the background.

A gas giant.

Compared to the massive planet behind it, the green world looked like a speck of dust, a mouse huddled beneath the feet of an elephant. The gas giant's pale blue atmosphere was eerily smooth, unmarred by landmasses. Only a few dark swirling storms disrupted its otherwise flawless surface. It reminded Leo of a toy ball—strikingly uniform, yet filled with unfathomable power.

He frowned. "Is this the habitable planet we've found?"

[Yes, Administrator.]

The star map shifted, displaying the full layout of the system as the main computer continued its explanation.

[This system is a binary star system, consisting of two stars orbiting a common gravitational center. Within this system, there is only one major planet—a gas giant with a diameter of 48,951 kilometers.]

The holographic projection zoomed in, highlighting nine small celestial bodies orbiting the gas giant.

[There are nine natural satellites around this gas giant. We are currently stationed near one of them. Of the remaining moons, only one other has a suitable climate, but its oceanic coverage exceeds 99%, making it unsuitable for long-term colonization.]

Leo rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "So out of all these moons, this is the only one we can settle on? Nine satellites orbiting a gas giant?" Leo frowned and pondered in his memory, "Okay, that means we can only colonize this asteroid, right? Then what should I do now? Can't you give me some advice?"

A sharp voice interrupted his musings.

"Administrator, if I may suggest, our priority should be fuel replenishment."

Leo turned to see a young man—likely in his mid-twenties—standing near a roundtable. His crisp, dark blue military uniform set him apart from the others. His expression was calm but focused, his posture rigid with discipline.

"Who are you?" Leo asked.

The officer snapped to attention. "Sir! Qi Jian, member of the General Staff!"

Leo nodded. "Alright, continue."

Qi Jian's voice was steady as he explained. "The gas giant's atmosphere contains high concentrations of helium, which can be used as energy for various spacecraft reactors. To secure our energy supply, we need to construct a mining station in its upper atmosphere. The mothership already has pre-fabricated modular structures stored in the warehouse, and our hangar holds a number of small engineering spacecraft capable of assembling the station. However, we need qualified pilots to operate them."

Leo crossed his arms. "So I need to wake up more crew members?"

"Yes, Administrator. Currently, only fifty of us have been awakened to prepare for your arrival. Among us are ten marines, five civilian staff, five officers, five communications specialists, five maintenance personnel, and ten mothership operators. Additionally, we have ten medical personnel to ensure our health."

Qi Jian's tone grew more formal. "With your authorization, we can wake additional crew members as needed."

Leo smirked. "I like your efficiency. If there's no official rank structure in place yet, I'm appointing you as our acting chief of staff for now."

Qi Jian's expression lit up with restrained excitement. He saluted sharply. "Yes, sir! I will carry out my duties to the best of my ability!"

Leo took his seat at the highest chair on the bridge, a circular command station designed for overseeing operations."Okay, let me check on our hibernating crew members." Following the prompt from the Selene, As soon as he settled in, a massive holographic interface unfolded before him.

A list of hibernating personnel appeared—50,000 crew members and 600,000 civilian colonists, categorized by skill level: Ordinary, Elite, Master… and three additional classifications hidden behind question marks.

The screen also listed specific conditions for awakening certain personnel. Higher-ranked individuals had stricter demands, likely outlined in their contracts before entering cryosleep.

The conditions required to awaken these personnel are also different.

For example, master-level talents are basically masters who have reached the pinnacle in their respective fields. If he wakes up such people and asks them to face a poor colony without even a tent, they will probably turn against him immediately.

Therefore, the conditions that need to be met to awaken these talents are marked below them. Most of these conditions are proposed by them themselves before entering cryogenic hibernation and are determined after signing the contract with the mothership.

Leo was very curious and checked what the master-level people were like. He clicked on one person at random and found that this was a master-level astrophysicist.

The conditions displayed:

A three-story villa, a private swimming pool, a state-of-the-art laboratory and a super radio observatory built on a plateau at least 3,000 meters above sea level.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He selected another candidate—a master of quantum mechanics.

Requirements: He needed a dust-free laboratory, the most advanced experimental equipment, a particle collider that was at least 50 kilometers long, two beautiful women who were no older than 20 years old as personal secretaries, and a velvet bed that was no less than 5 meters in diameter?

Leo blinked. "…

'What? Bro, you are definitely a cultural person!'

There are also some more normal requirements. For example, the requirements of a master sociologist are very simple. He does not ask for food or clothing, but only for the population of the colony to exceed 10 million...

...

...

'This request is even more outrageous, okay asshole (╯°Д°)╯（┻━┻!!'

Leo decisively closed the interface displaying the master-level personnel. This time, he didn't even bother looking at the elite tier. Right now, he had nothing—no resources, no infrastructure, no laboratories. Even if he woke those people up, they would probably just give up or die in front of him.

This was a hard truth, but an undeniable one. The colony was in its infancy, and ordinary personnel were more than capable of handling the initial groundwork. At most, a few elites would be necessary to provide guidance and leadership.

The conditions for awakening a master-level specialist were simply too demanding. For instance, if he were to awaken a master physicist while the colony was still under construction, what would that person even do? There were no advanced instruments, no laboratories, no research teams—nothing that could support high-level scientific endeavors. Was he supposed to put them in a classroom to teach physics? The problem was, he didn't even have a school, nor did he need one right now. Why bother with schools when we could just plug in and download knowledge like a computer?

Most of these master-level individuals were already in their fifties or sixties. Waking them up prematurely, only to waste years of their expertise on basic colony development, would be an incredible loss. Their time was too valuable to be spent on such rudimentary tasks.

And it was precisely for this reason that these experts had established their own conditions before entering cryogenic hibernation. It was a safeguard, ensuring that they would only be awakened when their skills could be put to proper use.

In contrast, ordinary personnel had no such requirements. As long as they had food, shelter, and a task to perform, they would be ready to work. A small portion of them had minor preferences—some requested the work environment needs members of the opposite sex, while others hoped for simple comforts like a daily serving of noodles.

Before authorizing the awakening process, Leo paused for a moment and asked, "Selene, am I the only one with the authority to wake up crew members? And do all of these people report directly to me?"

[Yes, Administrator,] Selene's voice responded instantly. [You hold the highest level of authority on this mothership. Any command you give will be executed without question, including orders for complete self-destruction of mothership now. Additionally, all crew members and residents aboard were personally selected by you, and their loyalty to you is absolute.]

Leo frowned. "When exactly did I choose them?"

[There are no relevant records in the database.]

Leo fell silent. Something about this entire situation felt… off.

Shaking off his unease, he quickly navigated to the engineering department within the ordinary crew member roster. After a brief evaluation, Leo nodded silently. He quickly found the engineering department among the ordinary crew members, and then chose to awaken 10 teams, each with 10 people, responsible for operating an engineering spacecraft. Then, under the prompt of the Selene, he awakened 2 teams of 10 people each for logistics and maintenance personnel.

After getting started, Leo quickly got into the role. This kind of small-scale work assignment was very simple. He woke up 20 people from the Ministry of Agriculture to look after the hydroponic chamber in the mothership, because he found that many crops in the water distribution chamber were withered.

No wonder Selene had informed him that supplies were running low.

With these immediate concerns addressed, Leo leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs. "Selene, give me an overview of this mothership," he requested.

[Understood,] Selene replied.

A massive holographic projection of the mothership appeared at the center of the bridge, rotating slowly in three-dimensional space.

[Manufacturer: Unknown. Civilization of Origin: Unknown. Current highest authority: Administrator Leo.]

[Technical Specifications: Total Height: 41.37 km. Maximum Width: 10.92 km. Total Mass: 373.079 billion tons. Armament: 5 mass projectors and a point-defense system comprising 377 small electromagnetic rapid-fire cannons. Total capacity…]

While the Mastermind was explaining in a clear and orderly manner, Leo didn't pay any attention to it at all, because he was already stunned by the holographic projection of the huge spaceship that appeared in front of him!

This is a giant spaceship that looks like a crescent moon or a banana. The overall design is very beautiful. There is a gap in the upper middle position with a large number of portholes, which is the bridge.

What shocked Leo was not this super giant ship whose size was equivalent to the distance from the Norton City, but because... he knew this ship!

His eyes widened in shock as he sprang to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair. His voice trembled with disbelief.

"This… This is… Home! This is the Kushan Mothership!"

The sheer absurdity of the situation sent a chill down his spine.

How could this be real?

Leo had spent countless hours playing Eclipse Armada, one of the most iconic space strategy games of all time. It was a groundbreaking game that opened a new era of space real-time strategy games. It had revolutionized the real-time strategy genre, blending tactical depth with an emotionally gripping storyline. It was the kind of game that stayed with you long after you finished it, and Leo, who had played it as a child, had been utterly captivated by its universe.

And yet—

Somehow, the legendary mothership from Eclipse Armada, the very heart of the Kushan fleet, was right here in front of him.

Real.

Tangible.

Under his command.

His pulse pounded in his ears. If this mothership existed in reality… then what else could be real?

Was he truly inside the world of Eclipse Armada?

And if so—

Did that mean they were out there too?

Was the galaxy teeming with the factions, threats, and wonders he had once only known through a computer screen?

Was this just the beginning?

The implications were overwhelming.

But now, this ship, which can be said to be the iconic ship in the entire "Andromeda" galaxy, the Kushan Mothership, is actually the one he has taken over? !

This is not right! Why do things in the game become reality? Also, if even the mothership in "Eclipse Armada" appears in reality, does that mean...

That dream could be real! Now, are we really in the Star Wars universe?

*****

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