Chapter 66: Just a Little Deception
Gu Hang deceived Salas Martins.
Not by much, just a little.
Drawing a grand vision isn’t exactly lying.
If the Star Warriors were willing to help him and Fury Owl Planet developed as he planned, he wouldn’t mind supporting a battalion.
He never intended for the Phoenix Battalion to serve him entirely and unconditionally.
The difference was too great.
Within the Imperial system, a planetary governor and the leader of a Star Warriors battalion were entirely different entities with no direct subordination. However, in terms of status, the latter was far superior to the former.
If the Phoenix Battalion were at its peak, they would dominate their home planet.
The planetary governor would indeed be just a mortal steward, handling the menial tasks that the Star Warriors couldn’t be bothered with.
Their influence would be immensely strong within the scope of a sector, with every governor in the sector respectfully welcoming the battalion leader and praying for their world’s aid during times of threat.
Within the entire star domain, even across countless light-years, the Phoenix’s reputation would be widespread.
Once a large-scale war breaks out and only one battalion participates, the battalion leader often becomes the highest military commander.
Although the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard are not nominally subordinate to the battalion, they would fully respect the battalion leader’s opinions and even follow their commands—of course, if a renowned general is present, the situation might be different.
Even though the Phoenix Battalion is no longer the Phoenix of a hundred years ago, the battalion’s structure remains, and the battalion leader’s status remains. Gu Hang could never make an entire battalion fully obey him.
Not even the sector’s chief could achieve that.
But forming allies with mutual benefits—that’s sufficient.
You live in my house, drive my car, eat the food I provide, and use the supplies I gather for you. I also promise to help you rebuild your battalion in the future… In such a situation, if I encounter difficulties, you wouldn’t mind firing a few shots to help me out, right?
As long as this alliance is maintained, Gu Hang wouldn’t mind fulfilling his promises in the long run, including rebuilding their battalion.
Whether it’s providing manpower and resources or finding ways to forge or purchase starships for them.
As for where Gu Hang deceived them…
It was in the third point, ‘replenishing enough Star Warriors.’
Gu Hang actually had a way.
How does one become a Star Warrior? It’s a challenging process.
It requires a ‘gene seed.’
The selected candidates are implanted with gene seeds and undergo intense bodily transformation.
If they survive one or two years, allowing the gene seed to thoroughly and meticulously transform their entire body, they become new recruits.
Then, after extensive training, if the battalion deems the recruits to have met the requirements, they are granted power armor, thus truly becoming Star Warriors.
It sounds easy, but the process is extremely difficult.
The bodily transformation after gene seed implantation is incredibly hard to endure.
Candidates aspiring to become Star Warriors are selected from billions, chosen for their robust physiques and unwavering will.
Despite this, most cannot withstand the transformation.
Whether their bodies collapse or their wills break, any failure leads to genetic collapse and death.
If they survive, they then face the new recruit training phase.
Fortunately, this part is merely rigorous, with generally lower fatality rates.
Throughout this entire process, the two most crucial elements are: high-quality candidates and gene seeds.
Recruitment sources are relatively easier to handle.
Generally, a battalion has an entire planet designated as a recruiting world, known as the home planet.
With a planet’s population to choose from, selecting the best candidates isn’t a concern.
Even for a fleet-based battalion, they can visit certain planets to recruit.
Large-scale global selection might not be realistic, but choosing a few hundred good prospects to cultivate wouldn’t face much opposition from a governor.
Even with the Phoenix Battalion’s current dire state, going to a world and taking a few promising candidates wouldn’t draw much pursuit from most planets.
But even if the recruitment issue is resolved, the Phoenix Battalion can’t solve the latter problem—gene seeds.
How the Emperor once created the gene seeds for Star Warriors is lost to history, and the technology from tens of thousands of years ago hasn’t been preserved.
In the current era, Star Warriors mainly rely on producing gene seeds themselves.
Each Star Warrior can produce two gene seeds in their lifetime.
The first matures within five years of becoming a Star Warrior and can be harvested to develop new recruits.
The second matures after ten years but can’t be harvested until after the Star Warrior’s death.
Theoretically, Star Warriors can double in numbers—one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight—exponentially. But in reality, this isn’t possible.
Star Warriors often fight in the most dangerous battles, and retrieving intact bodies isn’t always feasible.
The second seed isn’t always recoverable, making the first seed the more stable source.
Additionally, each battalion must submit 10% of their gene seeds to the Empire as a gene tax.
This ensures the seeds are pure, uncontaminated, and free of mutations.
The collected gene seeds also serve as a reserve for creating new battalions.
Moreover, the implantation surgery for gene seeds has a significant failure rate.
If it fails, both the person and the seed are lost.
With these factors combined, the Phoenix Battalion transforming from 7 to 14, then 28, is nearly impossible.
Worse, the seven surviving members of the Phoenix Battalion are all over a century old.
Their five-year seeds have long been harvested. To harvest another, they’d have to wait until they die.
Additionally, they don’t have a dedicated Apothecary for gene seed implantation surgeries anymore.
Chaplain Rizo would have to fill this role.
While he knows how, he’s not as skilled as a professional Apothecary.
Poor technique could further reduce the chances of successful awakenings.
When Gu Hang mentioned he couldn’t help with this, Martins didn’t doubt it for a second.
It was just a passing topic.
No Star Warrior would expect a mortal to assist the Phoenix Battalion in this regard.
But the reality is, Gu Hang has the ability.
In the [Events] panel, the [Phoenix Battalion’s Death] event line has undergone new changes.
[Phoenix Battalion’s Rebirth: Gene Seed (Repeatable Event, can be selected continuously)]
[The Phoenix Battalion has arrived on Fury Owl Planet and reached an initial cooperation agreement with you. A governor seeking to control and develop a world, paired with a battalion on the brink of death but determined to revive, is a good match.]
[The most crucial element for the battalion’s revival, the gene seed, is nowhere to be found. If you had this ability, what choice would you make?]
[Pay 100 Grace Points to obtain one gene seed (Phoenix Battalion).]
Seeing this system function, Gu Hang’s initial feeling was not joy but a cold sweat down his back.