The absorption of the Dunbar Kingdom and the full integration of the Central Territory had provided Pro-Consul Maximilian with everything he required: boundless resources, a compliant populace, and absolute strategic depth. Now, at the age of twenty-two, his attention shifted from expansion to the means of enforcing his new, sprawling empire. Max initiated a massive, clandestine program to create the ultimate expression of Scorpian technological supremacy: a devastating, modern Air Force, alongside advanced civilian logistics. His engineering teams, working tirelessly across the newly annexed industrial complexes, were building not just aircraft, but the foundational pillars of total air dominance.
Maximilian, drawing upon his fractured knowledge of historical military genius, ensured that his designs were rooted in proven principles, then elevated by Scorpian mana technology. For his civilian transport sector, he aimed for scale and efficiency, instructing his teams to use the core philosophy of the legendary Boeing 747—a massive, wide-body design built for hauling colossal volumes over vast distances with unparalleled economy. The result was the Scorpian Civilian Transport (SCT) aircraft, immense workhorses that dwarfed the old, hydrogen-lifted airships. These colossal planes were constructed using a specialized, strengthened, and lighter Mythril alloy hull, powered by closed-loop mana-assisted turbine engines. This new propulsion system vastly reduced the reliance on traditional fuel, leveraging controlled arcane energy to increase thrust and reliability dramatically. The SCTs became the true backbone of his empire, moving food, building materials, and vital personnel between the capital, the Barony of Katanga, and the newly annexed Dunbar Kingdom. This infallible logistics chain was the final, non-negotiable tool for cementing integration, ensuring that no corner of Max's domain ever suffered a logistical failure that could breed discontent.
However, the true focus was on ensuring that his total control over the ground was instantly matched by an absolute, terrifying dominance over the air. Max needed to replace his initial, slower airship fleet with faster, more destructive kinetic platforms. His engineering teams worked tirelessly to produce a devastating array of military aircraft, each integrating current mana technology not as a supplement, but as a core system to enhance speed, defense, and kinetic output.
For air superiority, the ultimate challenge to any surviving enemy air force, Max unveiled his new Fighter Jets. These were sleek, dart-like machines, built entirely for speed and aggressive maneuverability. Their lethality resided in two key advancements. First, their engines were integrated with a high-output mana booster system, allowing for bursts of extreme acceleration unmatched by any conventional power source, making them virtually untouchable in a dogfight. Second, and more critically, they possessed Actively Modulated Mana Shield Integration. Unlike older, passive systems, these fighter shields could dynamically shift power and shape instantly, strengthening one section to deflect an incoming projectile or elemental blast, allowing the pilots to execute high-G maneuvers while maintaining near-perfect protection. Their primary armaments were twin, rapid-fire auto cannons that fired high-velocity kinetic shells with extreme precision, backed by wing-mounted mana-imbued machine guns for overwhelming saturation fire designed to strip the defenses of any rival flying machine.
To deliver devastating, high-altitude strikes against strategic enemy infrastructure or massed troops, Max developed new Heavy Bombers. These were large, multi-engine platforms designed solely to carry colossal payloads. While they adhered to the proven method of delivery—releasing large, kinetic bombs—their efficacy was multiplied by advanced optical and arcane guidance systems that ensured pinpoint accuracy. Their operational range and stability were massively enhanced by continuous assist provided by powerful, dedicated mana-fueled stabilizing systems. These systems countered turbulent air and enemy arcane interference, allowing the pilots to maintain perfect altitude and airspeed, ensuring accurate delivery of their lethal cargo, regardless of the conditions below.
Recognizing the crucial need to crush ground resistance with overwhelming force—a lesson learned repeatedly in the chaotic Central Region—Max also prioritized close air support, designing his own equivalent of the legendary A-10 Warthog. The resulting Scorpian Attack Planes were brutal, heavily armored machines designed for survival in a low-altitude kill zone. They were constructed quite literally around an immense, rapid-firing auto cannon, their fuselage built with thick Mythril plating designed to absorb concentrated small-arms fire and low-level elemental bursts. They were designed to fly low and slow enough to deliver sustained punishment, the sound of their cannon becoming the sound of unavoidable death for the enemy. Their tactical armament was simple but devastatingly effective: the primary auto cannon, complemented by underwing racks capable of carrying vast quantities of kinetic and incendiary bombs for target saturation and total area denial.
It was a point of tactical clarity for Max that while his rocket technology was revolutionary in its destructive capability—the MSW-2 being the ultimate weapon of strategic annihilation—it remained physically constrained to the V-2 rocket platform. These were large, fixed-site launch vehicles, designed for strategic, deep-strike warfare, not fast-paced tactical engagement. Therefore, the new military planes were currently limited to the kinetic arsenal of auto cannons, machine guns, and bombs. This necessitated a doctrine of kinetic and incendiary saturation for day-to-day tactical deployment, while reserving the true, apocalyptic power of the MSW-2 V-2s for strategic, pre-emptive strikes against any enemy capital foolish enough to challenge his authority directly.
With this new, formidable Scorpian Air Force—a fleet capable of projecting overwhelming, rapid force across the entire continent—Max's power was no longer confined to the ground or the slow logistics of airships. The skies above the region were now his domain, providing him with a flexible, decisive edge that no rival could hope to match in the short term. The final piece of the kinetic puzzle was in place. The time for consolidation and construction was over; the time for conclusive action had arrived.