Tempest of the Battlefield Chapter 441

House Ma knew that they wouldn't hide anything from the public, and therefore, they welcomed visitors instead of keeping their doors closed . Although most of the crew aboard the ship had thought that the chance of encountering a battle was slim, the Confederation military had drafted a squadron to safeguard their journey .

There were also many scientists, since many scientific experiences would be conducted during the voyage .

In addition to the crew members who had a useful post on the ship, there were also those so-called "vacationers", who had paid their way into the expedition . Their main duty was to simply have fun .

House Ma had depleted their coffers to build the Ark and new battery, and it was time to make those investments pay back . The idea to have the military pay up-front was thrown out of the window after a few meetings in which the military was clear that they wouldn't pay a penny until they have a clear understanding of the Ark's capacity . Therefore, House Ma had to look for other sources of revenue, and space tourism was one of them . Since the ship was lauded as the largest and the most advanced ship ever built, the ticket for its virgin voyage was outrageously expensive . Thankfully, they were sold out almost immediately and helped alleviate House Ma's financial pain .

All eyes were on this expedition, and it was a make or break moment for House Ma . If the expedition were a success, House Ma would firmly reinstate its dominant position among competitors, but should they fail, House Ma would very likely be kicked out of the rank of the Great Houses . Like many other things, this expedition was a double-edged sword for the House Ma; crisis and opportunity were often two sides of the same coin .

So far, House Ma seemed to be doing very well, and was confident that their battleship would pass the test . Before they made the announcement, House Ma had already calculated and re-calculated their odds, and they would not make such a big decision and introduce the new ship without knowing that the odds were on their side . Once the Ark had returned to Earth, it would be introduced into the military as an integral part of the space defense program . With its long-distance cruising capability, it ought to deal a blow to the rampant pirate activities . The result would be more safe territory for humans to settle in, and more market for House Ma to unlock .

The Ark was docked at a military space city while replenishing its supplies and receiving new crew members . The entire spaceship was divided into two sections, the combat area and the living quarters . The living quarters were further divided into classes, just like a space city . It also had a capable team of security staff to maintain order .

The combat area was where the technique and military personnel would stay for most of the time during the expedition . It was where decisions were made and orders were given . The captain wielded an absolute authority on board . He or she would be both the military commander as well as the arbitrator for civil affairs .

The competition for the position of Captain was fierce; some might even say that it had waged war between different factions . The Ivantians and the Martians had decided to stay out of the competition since they knew their chances of becoming a captain on an Earthling's ship were almost zero .

After a few rounds of saber-rattling between House Ma, House Li, and the Golden Hawk, a final decision was made . Captain Kaost, a fifty-five years old lieutenant general, was elected to be the captain of the Ark . At the age of 39, he had already been the captain of a Zeus class battleship, and after three decades of services in the defense department, his prestige and reputation were unmatched .

Despite Kaost's solid resume, his appointment as the captain came out as a surprise to many people who were astute in politics . Kaost was not from any Great Houses, and in fact, his public words often bore a certain degree of resentment towards the great houses . Although he did not have partisanship, his actions and beliefs were more in tune with the Golden Hawk . While the fight for the captain had entered a stalemate, House Li had surprisingly veered towards the Golden Hawk and voted for Kaost .

Some had anticipated the increasingly larger divide between House Ma and House Li after House Ma's series of actions that were out of sync with the Li's interests .

Once the captain had been chosen, the rest of the positions were decided on very quickly .

The second in command on the ship was the first mate . His or her responsibility included mostly administrative work, and providing strategic advice to the captain . Samantha was assigned the position after a unanimous vote . The fame she had garnered for her brilliant management of Ayrlarng had helped her a long way .

The day Samantha was sworn into her position, her face showed up on the cover page of the TIME magazine .

The innocent new graduate from Capth who everyone laughed at for her innocent goals had grown up to be one of the most influential women in the confederation .

Samantha's success didn't stop there . Due to Einherjar Wannabe's mind-breaking performance, DREAM stocks had risen more than ten folds, making her one of the wealthiest people in the world .

Overnight, she had become the epitome of beauty, intelligence, and power . Her every smile tugged at the heartstrings of young men, and her feminist viewpoint had also won many hearts of female supporters . In a few more years, she would be ready for the position of the council chairman .

Samantha didn't take the appointment lightly, since she knew that her performance would be crucial for her future promotion . She scanned the data crawling over the dashboard of the ship and took a sip of coffee .

"Haha! Boss, this is awesome here! Ah! Did they tell you that all of us had been chosen to serve on the ship as well?" Karl shouted out . Almost all of Wang Tong's friends had been appointed a position on the ship, including Karl, Zhou Sisi, and Lumi .

"I heard there would be skirmishes against the pirates . I wish that's true . " Hu Yangxuan announced as he rubbed his hand excitingly .

"Yes, and no . I'm sure there will be battles, but the military will likely handle it for us . "

"Well, we could be useless cannon fodder, but not bosses . "

Wang Tong cracked a smile and said, "Haha, it will be great if I can go out there and fight . "

Since it would still be a couple of days until the ship set sail, the group had decided to explore the interior of the mammoth structure fully . They were immediately amazed by its scale and design . Not only was it a death machine on the outside, but it was also a living city inside . It was practically a flying fortress . Although humans boasted about their perceived control stretching over a few galaxies, they barely could maintain a tight grip on various rogue factions within the solar system . The incompetence was largely due to a limited capacity of long-distance flights, and that of providing viable conditions over a long period of time . But, the introduction of the Ark would change all of that, and make the universe much smaller than it really was .

Wang Tong and his friends lived inside the combat area . Since comfort was not the main design criteria in this area, they had to sleep in bunk beds and had the most rudimentary amenities .

All high-rank officers were assigned accommodation in the living quarters; some even brought their families here . House Ma had encouraged crew members to bring families with them, since long-term separation with loved ones was proven to take a toll on the morale .

Chapter 441 Tour Of The Space FortressTranslator Oneshotwonder Editor Hitesh House Ma knew that they wouldn t hide anything from the public, and therefore, they welcomed visitors instead of keeping their doors closed . Although most of the crew aboard the ship had thought that the chance of encountering a battle was slim, the Confederation military had drafted a squadron to safeguard their journey . There were also many scientists, since many scientific experiences would be conducted during the voyage . In addition to the crew members who had a useful post on the ship, there were also those so called vacationers , who had paid their way into the expedition . Their main duty was to simply have fun . House Ma had depleted their coffers to build the Ark and new battery, and it was time to make those investments pay back . The idea to have the military pay up front was thrown out of the window after a few meetings in which the military was clear that they wouldn t pay a penny until they have a clear understanding of the Ark s capacity . Therefore, House Ma had to look for other sources of revenue, and space tourism was one of them . Since the ship was lauded as the largest and the most advanced ship ever built, the ticket for its virgin voyage was outrageously expensive . Thankfully, they were sold out almost immediately and helped alleviate House Ma s financial pain . All eyes were on this expedition, and it was a make or break moment for House Ma . If the expedition were a success, House Ma would firmly reinstate its dominant position among competitors, but should they fail, House Ma would very likely be kicked out of the rank of the Great Houses . Like many other things, this expedition was a double edged sword for the House Ma crisis and opportunity were often two sides of the same coin . So far, House Ma seemed to be doing very well, and was confident that their battleship would pass the test . Before they made the announcement, House Ma had already calculated and re calculated their odds, and they would not make such a big decision and introduce the new ship without knowing that the odds were on their side . Once the Ark had returned to Earth, it would be introduced into the military as an integral part of the space defense program . With its long distance cruising capability, it ought to deal a blow to the rampant pirate activities . The result would be more safe territory for humans to settle in, and more market for House Ma to unlock . The Ark was docked at a military space city while replenishing its supplies and receiving new crew members . The entire spaceship was divided into two sections, the combat area and the living quarters . The living quarters were further divided into classes, just like a space city . It also had a capable team of security staff to maintain order . The combat area was where the technique and military personnel would stay for most of the time during the expedition . It was where decisions were made and orders were given . The captain wielded an absolute authority on board . He or she would be both the military commander as well as the arbitrator for civil affairs . The competition for the position of Captain was fierce some might even say that it had waged war between different factions . The Ivantians and the Martians had decided to stay out of the competition since they knew their chances of becoming a captain on an Earthling s ship were almost zero . After a few rounds of saber rattling between House Ma, House Li, and the Golden Hawk, a final decision was made . Captain Kaost, a fifty five years old lieutenant general, was elected to be the captain of the Ark . At the age of 39, he had already been the captain of a Zeus class battleship, and after three decades of services in the defense department, his prestige and reputation were unmatched . Despite Kaost s solid resume, his appointment as the captain came out as a surprise to many people who were astute in politics . Kaost was not from any Great Houses, and in fact, his public words often bore a certain degree of resentment towards the great houses . Although he did not have partisanship, his actions and beliefs were more in tune with the Golden Hawk . While the fight for the captain had entered a stalemate, House Li had surprisingly veered towards the Golden Hawk and voted for Kaost . Some had anticipated the increasingly larger divide between House Ma and House Li after House Ma s series of actions that were out of sync with the Li s interests . Once the captain had been chosen, the rest of the positions were decided on very quickly . The second in command on the ship was the first mate . His or her responsibility included mostly administrative work, and providing strategic advice to the captain . Samantha was assigned the position after a unanimous vote . The fame she had garnered for her brilliant management of Ayrlarng had helped her a long way . The day Samantha was sworn into her position, her face showed up on the cover page of the TIME magazine . The innocent new graduate from Capth who everyone laughed at for her innocent goals had grown up to be one of the most influential women in the confederation . Samantha s success didn t stop there . Due to Einherjar Wannabe s mind breaking performance, DREAM stocks had risen more than ten folds, making her one of the wealthiest people in the world . Overnight, she had become the epitome of beauty, intelligence, and power . Her every smile tugged at the heartstrings of young men, and her feminist viewpoint had also won many hearts of female supporters . In a few more years, she would be ready for the position of the council chairman . Samantha didn t take the appointment lightly, since she knew that her performance would be crucial for her future promotion . She scanned the data crawling over the dashboard of the ship and took a sip of coffee . Haha Boss, this is awesome here Ah Did they tell you that all of us had been chosen to serve on the ship as well Karl shouted out . Almost all of Wang Tong s friends had been appointed a position on the ship, including Karl, Zhou Sisi, and Lumi . I heard there would be skirmishes against the pirates . I wish that s true . Hu Yangxuan announced as he rubbed his hand excitingly . Yes, and no . I m sure there will be battles, but the military will likely handle it for us . Well, we could be useless cannon fodder, but not bosses . Wang Tong cracked a smile and said, Haha, it will be great if I can go out there and fight . Since it would still be a couple of days until the ship set sail, the group had decided to explore the interior of the mammoth structure fully . They were immediately amazed by its scale and design . Not only was it a death machine on the outside, but it was also a living city inside . It was practically a flying fortress . Although humans boasted about their perceived control stretching over a few galaxies, they barely could maintain a tight grip on various rogue factions within the solar system . The incompetence was largely due to a limited capacity of long distance flights, and that of providing viable conditions over a long period of time . But, the introduction of the Ark would change all of that, and make the universe much smaller than it really was . Wang Tong and his friends lived inside the combat area . Since comfort was not the main design criteria in this area, they had to sleep in bunk beds and had the most rudimentary amenities . All high rank officers were assigned accommodation in the living quarters some even brought their families here . House Ma had encouraged crew members to bring families with them, since long term separation with loved ones was proven to take a toll on the morale .

Chapter end