Chapter 748 - 721: Fleet

Lu Jianfei was one of the high-level military officials who knew about the robot plan early on, but the four officers he brought with him were not; the timing was urgent, and they had to absorb information about the aliens as well as a large amount of classified information from the early stages of New Yuan almost simultaneously, leaving them with hardly any impression.

The women in skirts looked so out of place on the space station, and they were even more at a loss when approached closely; it was Lu Jianfei who took the initiative to explain to them.

However, knowing was one thing, but actually seeing it was completely another.

After stabilizing his emotions, he truly appreciated New Yuan’s astounding achievements in this area.

If one were to observe the face, then from the eyes to the microexpressions, no matter what, it was impossible to distinguish non-human characteristics. Only the breathing and temperature, as well as the overly refined, somewhat unauthentic features, could give away some clues.

In just a moment, he was certain that robots would play an extremely important role in the future, although there were currently no clues as to how.

The crew members like Li Sheng who had deliberately kept their distance hadn’t gone far; moving supplies took a lot of time, and for now, he was just confirming the supply list through the computer connected to the Storm. These tasks could have been handled entirely by robots.

The crew members gazed intently at the ten visitors, discussing amongst themselves.

They had also known about the arrival of a group of visitors following the aerospace plane just three days prior, which was the same day they learned that the Space Force was officially established.

By this time, the March had also officially implemented the ship management system for twenty days and had just started to adapt to it.

Under the new system, in order to eliminate interference from the astronaut system, a new simulated ranking was adopted uniformly, with the captain temporarily ranked as a colonel.

The remaining 25 crew members were divided into five departments: the Navigation Department, the Combat Command Department, the Power Mechanics & Electronics Department, the Logistics & Medical Support Department, and the Communication & Security Department.

The Navigation Department naturally is responsible for planning the navigation route, determining the destination of the March, as well as its daily operational posture, now comprising the Deputy Captain Hu Dong, a Lieutenant Colonel, and three assistants, for a total of 4 people;

The Power Mechanics & Electronics Department is in charge of controlling the 6 nuclear engines, deciding on power generation, and managing all electronic devices aboard the ship, with a total of 7 people;

The Logistics & Medical Support Department, as the name implies, mainly handles the ship’s food supply as well as medical and psychological health, with a total of 5 people;

The Communication & Security Department is essentially the intelligence office of the traditional ship system, analyzing radar information while ensuring the internal security of the March, with a total of 6 people;

The last, Combat Command Department, is of course led by the captain, with four "staff officers" under his command, one of whom is the Deputy Captain Hu Dong, making the department’s total a team of 5.

All departments are organized into squad systems, temporarily only with squad leaders and ordinary crew members, and except for the captain and deputy captain, there are no other deputy positions.

And now, the operation status of the 5 departments are different, with the Navigation Department, the Power Mechanics & Electronics Department, and the Logistics & Medical Support Department being the most important departments that operate at all times.

As for the Communication & Security Department and the Combat Command Department, they actually only exist in name; most of the time they’re reserve members, doing odd jobs wherever needed, without any specific professional tasks.

This system was modeled after foreign aircraft carrier systems and adapted by Li Sheng; it was basically comprehensive. There were indeed flaws, but there was no helping it, anyway; with only 26 crew members at hand, on Earth, it would barely be enough to crew a missile boat.

Eight officers and seventeen junior officers, with ensign as the base rank, formed the initial framework of the first space station ship management model.

Although nearly half of them didn’t originally come from the astronaut system, this system still played a noticeable role, with the most significant being the quick stabilization of mental state.

According to a private report by the psychologist and logistics squad leader Lian Xinwei, the ship’s psychological condition significantly improved after implementing the management system. Just as predicted before the system was put into place, there was indeed a slight decline in morale, but it was still within an acceptable range.

During these processes, the reaction from the ground also gradually led the crew members to start guessing whether they would transition from "crew members" to "ship crew."

And when the news of the formal establishment of the Space Force came through, it all but confirmed the speculation.

By now, rumors had leaked on the domestic internet; under the media’s euphemistic presentations, people merely thought it was following in the footsteps of America and Russia and didn’t cause much of a stir.

But the crew of the March felt entirely different, especially after Lu Jianfei’s personal visit.

Seeing their "superiors" flustered by a bunch of robots, everyone’s mood began to relax, which was a welcome diversion after the intense training missions.

Lin Ju had already slipped away with his fiancée, deeply involved in and familiar with the design work of the March, he wasn’t unfamiliar with the structure here.

It was only when Lu Jianfei managed to free himself from the life steward’s control and composed himself that Li Sheng approached once more.

"Commander,"

Lu Jianfei nodded, his gaze resting on the insignia on his shoulder.

The insignia worn by the crew of the March were self-made; the ground had not interfered. The colonel insignias still featured two bars and three stars, but inside each star was an empty circle, and the bars, upon closer inspection, varied in thickness, reminiscent of a rocket.

On Earth, the Space Force still used the current official insignia, but he really liked the crew’s DIY version and couldn’t help looking at it a bit longer before he said,

"Atten-hut!"

Li Sheng immediately complied, having already mastered how to maintain this posture stably in zero gravity.

Lu Jianfei then took out an arm badge from his chest pocket and pressed it firmly into the palm of Li Sheng’s hand.

"On behalf of the Hua Country Space Army General Command, I appoint you as the commander of the Space Force Earth Fleet flagship 0011, the March ship, and entrust you with the sacred mission of commanding all crew members to protect our country’s space security,"

Holding the arm badge, Li Sheng was stunned for several seconds before he looked down at the palm of his hand.

The main body of the arm badge featured a detailed ring design, representing a side view of the March, against the backdrop of a blue Earth, with the number "0011" above, and a golden border enclosing the words "SAF Earth Fleet Advance Ship" with a red star and slogans on either side.

The weight of this arm badge was overwhelming, making his head feel somewhat swollen.

In Lu Jianfei’s calm gaze full of expectations, had it not been for the arm badge on Li Sheng’s all-in-one suit unable to be removed, he should have affixed it then and there.

He cleared his throat and continued,

"Actually, it’s not so formal. The Space Force is completely makeshift right now, and even the assets of the March aren’t truly ours yet. You also still need to carry out many scientific tasks.

This arm badge is just transitional, but I hope you understand that the Space Force has truly taken shape and is planning for the future, and I hope you will shoulder the responsibility of defending space."

"Commander, from now on, I am a member of the Space Force!"

Li Sheng hurriedly saluted, now fully grasping the significance of the arm badge.

"To be precise, it’s in the future. We are discussing this issue with New Yuan and the Aerospace Administration. In five years, the March will be completely sold to us, and that’s when your affiliations will be transferred. During this period, three, even four agencies will have management rights over the March.

However, in the end, it’s still the Aerospace Development Committee that temporarily holds the highest authority, and the Space Force’s missions are also conveyed through them."