Chapter 308 Space Oath
Two hundred kilometers of high orbit, the first phase of the Starry Sky Advance Base.
Over the past two weeks, this colossal structure, pieced together from titanium crystal, starry sky materials, and a heavy pressure array, has fully unfolded its cold, hard skeleton in a vacuum.
Escort zones, engineering sequence hangars, cold-forged array cores, life support and rest pods... those "legion logics" planned on blueprints have been firmly imprinted on the backdrop of the universe by countless welding rods and array patterns.
The framework has been forged in steel; now, it needs to be given a real name and a unified soul.
The first base of the space elevator.
The chilly morning wind swept across the massive unloading area. There were no flower-adorned red carpets, no fluttering flags, only exposed, heavy titanium armor, guide walls covered with scorch marks from plasma tail flames, and the oppressive feeling of pure military heavy industry.
Behind everyone, the composite main cable, tens of meters in diameter, resembled a giant steel needle connecting the fate of civilization, piercing straight into the sky. On the priority tracks on both sides of the main cable, rows of second-generation heavy-duty transport capsules, fully loaded with prefabricated modules, were like lurking steel behemoths, their engines emitting a low-frequency preheating hum.
Representatives from the Supreme Command, the Coordination Agency, the Academy of Sciences, the Array Court, various war zones, and major mountain systems stood silently in formation at the base, dressed in dark combat uniforms without any extra embellishments.
At the same time, a branch venue was located on a 200-kilometer-long high-speed rail line.
The first batch of core members from the escort, engineering development, formation material refining, and transportation logistics sequences were all wearing deep-space tactical robes equipped with high-pressure life support systems. They were anchored to the metal truss outside the forward base from 200 kilometers above the ground using their true essence.
Behind them are the rich meteorites locked in the tethering zone by titanium crystal mesh, the automatic welding arm silently spewing out eerie blue electric arcs in the vacuum, the module area that is not completely sealed, and the miniature star-gathering platform that is slowly transmitting stellar energy flow in the opposite direction to the Earth's core.
This is not a mobilization speech delivered in a public square. This is a declaration of humanity's will to deep space from the edge of a vacuum, at the forefront of civilization's expansion.
"The full-band quantum spiritual pressure channel is now connected."
The Earth Alliance's Supreme Commander walked to the main control console on the surface, and his voice, with an extremely low delay, resounded simultaneously in the two cold, hard meeting rooms, one on the ground and one on the ground.
He didn't engage in lengthy, emotional speeches; he was simply stating an extremely grand reality.
"Over the past two weeks, we have mobilized the entire nation to establish a two-way channel for resources and energy transmission between Earth and space. This high-orbit base, hanging at Earth's doorstep, is no longer a temporary workshop for mining; it is the first steel skeleton that humanity has extended into deep space."
"The era has turned." His gaze pierced through the screen, as if looking at every monk and craftsman suspended in the vacuum of high orbit. "Humanity will not forever cower in the atmosphere, barely surviving."
He suddenly unfolded the metal dossier in his hand, which bore the highest level of security seal.
"Now, on behalf of the Supreme Command, the Coordination Agency, and the Joint Command, I read out the first version of the Deep Space Sequence Alignment Order!"
This is not an expansion of the army, but rather the formal incorporation of the first batch of elite troops who have already withstood the brutal test in high orbit into the highest organizational structure of the civilization.
The first batch of escort combat units were officially reorganized.
The first batch of core personnel were simultaneously incorporated into the three major sequences of engineering, formation, and logistics.
His voice was like the clash of metal: "From this moment forward, the 'High Orbit Temporary Engineering Group' is hereby dissolved! It is officially incorporated into humanity's first comprehensive deep-space force—the [Interstellar Expeditionary Force]!"
The moment the name was officially pronounced, all the astronauts on high orbit straightened their backs abruptly.
From this day forward, they share a common identity that will be etched into the annals of civilization.
"Expeditionary Force Escort Combat Order, Swearing an Oath!"
Above the high orbit, all the sword cultivators and magic cultivators simultaneously drew their weapons, and extremely cold vows reverberated back through the internal communication channel:
"Guard the main cable! Protect the high orbit! Eliminate external threats! Swear to ensure the lifeline of our mother planet is never extinguished!"
"Expeditionary Force Engineering and Formation Sequence, Swear an oath!" the former president of the Academy of Sciences shouted sternly.
Chen Shi and his colleagues gripped their micro-carving knives tightly. They were building bridges to civilization in the stillness of a world without wind or fire.
An extremely calm and unwavering vow, imbued with the obsession of a craftsman, resounded through the heavens:
"The nails are perfectly aligned! The array patterns are perfectly aligned! The main cable is unbroken! The power transmission is uninterrupted!"
This space rally was not confined to the internal military network.
After undergoing top-level information security desensitization, the real-time footage of the oath-taking ceremony was, for the first time, projected holographically to various surface fortresses, underground military factories, frontline war zones, and famous mountain outposts.
As they looked up at the giant screen in the plaza, they saw for the first time so clearly the main elevator cable connecting heaven and earth; they saw the rough yet enormous skeleton of the forward base in the vacuum; they saw the massive meteorites tethered to their orbits; they saw the astronauts arrayed like nails against the backdrop of the starry sky…
In that silent gazing upwards, everyone realized for the first time from a macroscopic perspective that the main cable overhead, roaring day and night, was not simply for transporting goods. Humanity had indeed built a steel city in space, using it as a springboard to prepare for venturing into even deeper realms.
Main venue on the ground.
"The first round of reorganization and confirmation of each sequence has been completed."
"The first batch of core modules for the expedition have been connected to the network."
"The pre-launch inspection process for the central control hub for deep space exploration has been completed."
Inside the joint control room, one by one, green indicator lights representing "ready" lit up, and the crisp electronic prompts were particularly clear in the quiet venue.
The Alliance's Supreme Commander slowly raised his right hand. His voice, though not loud, was like a thunderclap piercing the long night, exploding in the ears of all humanity:
"I hereby announce the commencement of the first phase of the Interstellar Expeditionary Force..."
"The countdown to departure has officially begun."
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