"This space station appears to have been abandoned. Its technological level is only slightly better than a Second-level Civilization that has just ventured into space, with no generational gap in applied technology." After observing for a while, Li Yali concluded.
Elena added, "Although the technology isn't advanced, stellar system scans indicate this isn't a local construct—it was built by outsiders."
"So, there's a Third-level Civilization in a nearby star system capable of preliminary interstellar exploration?" Liu Hai examined the damaged space station closely, feeling its design bore an uncanny resemblance to something in his memories.
Igor crossed his arms, stroking his stubbled chin as he asked skeptically, "But no signs of life were detected in this star system. Has that civilization perished?"
"Unlikely," Li Yali explained. "As a Third-level Civilization with basic interstellar capabilities, they would have abundant resources and energy even while exploring neighboring star systems. Even if civil war broke out, their civilization wouldn't simply vanish."
"Any of their colonial groups could sustain the civilization. Though the process might be arduous, with sufficient energy and resources, the worst outcome would be technological regression—it would just take time for the civilization to rebuild."
"There are also minor possibilities, such as the civilization being unique or facing external threats."
"Dispatch a few more Corvettes to scan the surrounding star systems. Also, send security forces to land on the space station and retrieve any useful information." Liu Hai was eager to uncover the station's story—after all, this was the first alien civilization he had encountered in a meaningful way. The Katun Civilization didn't count; they were nothing more than mortal enemies.
After Liu Hai issued the orders, Li Yali took charge of coordinating the scouting Corvettes. However, only Liu Hai could command the Clone Legion security forces, so he had to personally oversee the operation.
Inside the transport ship, hundreds of Clone Soldiers were undergoing routine training. The fully armed squad shouted drills in unison, their bodies straining against Exoskeleton Armor with auxiliary power disabled. The rising heat from their exertion raised the temperature of the climate-controlled cargo hold by several degrees.
Liu Hai's gaze swept over the Clone Squads before settling on his first combat unit—Squad One.
"Emergency assembly!"
"Beep! Beep!" The shrill alarm blared. The training Clone Squads immediately activated their armor's power systems, swiftly equipping their weapons and rushing toward the landing bay.
In the landing bay—retrofitted from the cargo hold—ten Armed Landing Crafts were warming up their engines. Three squadrons of Fighter Jets and Mecha, piloted by Clone Soldiers, had already been deployed. Guided by approaching Corvettes, they engaged their Warp Drives toward the space station in the star system.
Liu Hai's projection, clad in black Powered Armor, appeared in the landing bay. He paced solemnly, inspecting the disciplined, battle-ready Clone Soldiers before nodding in approval.
"You've trained for five years. Now is the time to prove your worth. An alien civilization's space station has been discovered in the star system ahead."
Currently, it is unknown whether there are any lifeforms inside or if there are any dangers. Your mission is to enter the space station and retrieve detailed intelligence from within."
"Any questions?"
"We resolutely execute the commander's orders!" the Clone Legion soldiers roared in unison.
"Excellent! Move out!" With that command, Liu Hai's figure vanished.
After Liu Hai left, One stepped forward: "All teams have ten minutes to prepare supplies. Assemble here in ten minutes. Dismissed now."
Over a dozen squads saluted and quickly moved toward the armory under their respective squad leaders. During training, they had only been equipped with basic weapons and gear. Now that they were heading out on a mission, they naturally needed to bring all their equipment.
Ten minutes later, the squads boarded the landing craft in an orderly manner. Under the force field traction of two cruisers, they entered warp drive, following the corvettes that had departed earlier into the star system.
In the command ship's lounge, Liu Hai and the others watched the progress of the clone squads.
Irina paid special attention to the clone squad's armament configuration and said to Liu Hai with slight surprise, "Liu, your marine squad is formidable. Powered exoskeleton armor—its quality is on par with the Federation's active-duty gear. Fire Support Armed Robots assigned to squads, portable unmanned reconnaissance and strike integrated machines, two plasma shoulder cannons per soldier, and they're even wielding high-speed electromagnetic autocannons. Tsk tsk, this is an utterly insane loadout."
Liu Hai immediately understood what she was hinting at and chuckled, "You've taken a liking to my combat squad, haven't you? Too bad—they're not for sale."
"How about I trade you a warship for this one combat squad?" Irina pressed, unwilling to give up.
"No way. Have you even considered this? This squad has been with me since my days on Garbage Star. Their equipment alone is worth over 200,000 Credit Points, and it took years to train them. I'm counting on them to form the backbone of a marine corps. How could I possibly hand them over to you?" Liu Hai scoffed at Irina's proposal. While clones might be cheap, the time and effort invested in their training weren't renewable. Starting over would mean wasting untold time and energy.
"Fine, no trade then. It's just one marine squad anyway. Who even engages in ground combat these days? Orbital bombardment renders any defensive forces useless."
Irina's sour grapes were obvious. If ground forces were truly useless, why would the Federation maintain marine corps across various star systems?
It's just that marine corps aren't needed most of the time. But when they are, their role is absolutely critical—such as clearing resistance forces on life planets and other key positions.
The casualty rates of marine corps are comparable to those of fleets. It's common during the Federation's expansion for entire units to be wiped out in a single battle.
Among the Federation's existing life planets, aside from the few discovered without intelligent civilizations, all others—including those in the Lord's Star Regions—were secured by marine corps landing and clearing them with their lives.
Machines are unreliable.
This is a consensus among interstellar civilizations. They can be used, but never fully entrusted.
This isn't just because of potential AI rebellion, but also because interstellar warfare between civilizations makes overly intelligent fleets easy targets for specialized countermeasures.
Certain specialized equipment could even penetrate warships with activated Energy Shields and take control of their Intelligent Nexus core.
This strategy of subduing the enemy without fighting was the primary reason why interstellar civilizations could suppress the Intelligent Nexus. When faced with advanced civilizations, their intelligent technology would seem as rudimentary as a toddler's first steps, easily overridden.