Infinite Stream Metaverse

Chapter 797 Reconnaissance
Imperial military base, seventh floor.

A row of TIE fighter jets were parked in the hangar.

Among them were two very oddly shaped TIE fighter jets, which Fu Qinghai saw as soon as he entered the hangar.

Fu Qinghai was certain that the two fighter jets still belonged to the TIE fighter jet family, because they also had the iconic black solar panels and eyeball-shaped cockpit windows. However, the high bulge behind the cockpit formed a trapezoidal shape, making them look like two hunchbacked versions of the TIE bombers, which were strange, ugly and incongruous.

"Look, these are the new toys that arrived a few days ago."

Elwin patted the wingplate and said:

"TIE/sr long-range reconnaissance aircraft."

As Elowin introduced.

Fu Qinghai had a general understanding of the situation.

The outer ring region is sparsely populated, and much of the information on the star map is very blurry. If the Galactic Empire wants to maintain long-term control over the outer ring, it needs to continuously map and supplement the astronomical data on these star maps. However, relying on warships for reconnaissance across such a vast space is obviously too costly. Ordinary TIE fighters do not have hyperspace drives, so the Sina Fleet Systems Corporation created this incongruous TIE fighter.

The fuselage and wing panels were elongated, and a two-stage hyperspace drive, along with various sensors and detectors, was crammed into the bulge behind the cockpit. The fuel and supply bays were enlarged, improving endurance for long-range flights. There was a narrow crew cabin that could accommodate three additional passengers besides the pilot. The weapon system was further downgraded, retaining only a single laser cannon as its sole weapon.

This is the TIE/SR long-range reconnaissance aircraft.

It is said that the Sina Fleet Systems Company only produced a very small number of TIE long-range reconnaissance aircraft, which were specifically allocated to the outer ring area. If this imperial military base had not happened to be located in the outer ring, they might not have had the chance to see this obscure fighter jet.

"Does that mean we have a reconnaissance mission?"

Fu Qinghai squinted and muttered to himself.

"I guess it will be there in a few days."

Elowin shrugged and said.

The addition of two interstellar fighters with hyperspace jump capabilities is actually quite good news for Fu Qinghai, the undercover agent, as it will make many things easier to do.

Fu Qinghai turned to look at Elwin's TIE fighter jet and saw the personal markings etched on the jet's hull and a row of kill markers. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

Elowin is quite arrogant.

"What's going on?"

Fu Qinghai pointed to the kill marker and asked.

"Pirates, we've participated in several escort missions."

Elwin replied casually:

"Z-95 Headhunter fighter jet and V-19 Tornado fighter jet."

These are all old fighter jets that entered service at the end of the Republic's history.

Fu Qinghai nodded, thinking to himself.

Although they are old fighter jets, both of these aircraft are actually better than the TIE fighter jet. The Imperial Navy did not continue to use them due to cost reasons, not because these two aircraft were bad.

As for how these fighter jets ended up in the hands of pirates? It can only be said that the galaxy was in chaos at the end of the Republic's reign.

Although Elowin appeared calm and collected on the surface, Fu Qinghai could tell that she was actually quite pleased with herself inside.

It's all because I trained them well.

Fu Qinghai thought to himself.

……

Just as Fu Qinghai and Ailov had predicted.

A reconnaissance mission was quickly assigned.

Target: The Abyss and B-1B ...

……

The sixth floor of the Imperial military base houses officers' quarters.

Fu Qinghai was making preparations for his departure.

Unlike regular patrol missions, this reconnaissance mission may last a long time, so it is necessary to carry a lot of survival supplies. Fu Qinghai can take the opportunity to smuggle some personal items.

After thinking for a moment, Fu Qinghai ultimately decided against taking the all-metal suitcase that transformed from his power armor. Instead, he secretly slipped the Dragon Sword into a small package in his luggage bag.

Are you feeling better?

Elowin stood at the door with his backpack tucked into his arm.

"All right."

Fu Qinghai walked out of the room carrying a duffel bag.

"How come you brought more stuff than me?"

Elwin glanced at his bag strangely.

"You don't know anything, this is just in case."

Fu Qinghai casually patted her bottom, turned and walked towards the hangar, saying lightly, "I can feel the bounce even through the thick spacesuit, it's really nice."

……

A TIE long-range reconnaissance aircraft overtook the hangar.

Fu Qinghai sat steadily in the driver's seat, while Elowen sat in the cramped passenger compartment behind him.

The passenger compartment is stocked with enough drinking water and food, as well as some necessary medical supplies and emergency tools.

Elowen curiously unzipped Fu Qinghai's duffel bag. She thought it contained a single sleeping bag, but instead pulled out a rolled-up mat... Seeing the soft mat that was just the right size to be laid on the floor, Elowen instantly understood what was going on, and her face flushed red.

This guy was definitely up to no good...

Elowen looked up at Fu Qinghai's back.

She guessed what he wanted to do from the very beginning.

Logically speaking, Fu Qinghai is the captain of the Blade Squad, and Elowen is the vice-captain. They shouldn't be participating in reconnaissance missions together. At least one of them should stay at the base to lead the Blade Squad.

But Fu Qinghai didn't care about all that. This reconnaissance mission might take a long time, and he didn't want to spend all day crammed into the cabin with another boy. It would be so boring.

Fu Qinghai flicked the button, quickly set the navigation system path, and then started the hyperspace drive.

The reconnaissance plane disappeared into the atmosphere with a "whoosh".

……

Looking at the blue lines moving through the window.

Fu Qinghai released the control lever and unbuckled his seatbelt, with a crisp click sounding.

The crisp sound made Elowin's heart skip a beat.

Helplessly, she leaned against the bulkhead, watching Fu Qinghai stand up from the pilot's seat, watching the man slowly and silently remove his helmet and spacesuit, revealing his massive, muscular physique. Elwin unconsciously clenched her thighs and swallowed hard.

At that moment, she suddenly began to miss Roxie.

……

The journey from Sereno to the Bis Gemini system requires five hours in hyperspace, during which time Elowen is Fu Qinghai's only entertainment.

At this moment, she lay back on the soft cushion. Fu Qinghai sat lazily beside her, tilting his head to quietly admire the woman's post-coital beauty.

She truly deserves to be called the flower of the Imperial Naval Academy.

Elowin is so beautiful.

There wasn't a single flaw on her entire body.

Once she had caught her breath, Fu Qinghai couldn't resist leaning down again and lingering on her body for a while.

"Um~ I haven't showered, no, not there."

……

The reconnaissance plane appeared out of nowhere in a region of space.

Fu Qinghai looked at the two stars outside the viewing window.

A blinding yellow light illuminated the entire galaxy.

"Get yourself together."

Fu Qinghai pushed the control lever and gave the order:
"Prepare to begin measuring astronomical data."

"Ok."

Behind him, Elowin stumbled as he put on his spacesuit, brushed his sweat-dampened black hair behind his ears, and turned on the sensors and detectors on the reconnaissance aircraft one by one.

"Planet Biss"

Fu Qinghai looked out the window at the yellowish-brown planet.

That is the birthplace of the Abis people.

"Now we begin our orbit around the planet."

Fu Qinghai controlled the reconnaissance aircraft to descend into a geosynchronous orbit. They were currently located above the equator of the planet Bis, and the sensors and probes on board began to continuously map data.

Typically, before an Imperial fleet travels to an unknown or unfamiliar star system, it will arrange for a mapping operation to understand the gravity distribution in that space and to detect the presence of extreme astronomical disasters such as solar storms, planetary collisions, gamma-ray bursts, and supernova explosions.

It takes some time for the reconnaissance plane to circle the planet. During this time, Elwin took out a data tablet and read aloud:

"The Abyss people's innate resilience and powerful regenerative abilities enabled Abyss culture to tolerate astonishingly rampant violence. The Abyss people formed nomadic tribes that roamed the desert plains of Abyss in search of rare water sources and oases."

"The availability of water determined the two different outcomes when different Abyss tribes met. If water was scarce, the Abyss chief—usually a valiant warrior—would declare 'bloodshed.' In this 'bloodshed,' the Abyss would fight for ownership of the oasis. The defeated Abyss survivors would usually be absorbed into the victorious tribe. If water and food were plentiful, the Abyss would declare trade. At that time, food, weapons, women, and even young children could become trade goods."

"When the Galactic Republic's space explorers first discovered and encountered the Abyssians, the Abyssians regarded these new aliens as a hostile tribe, and 'bloodshed' ensued. When an individual was insulted, the Abyssians would also resort to personal 'bloodshed.' The most likely way to cause this was to call an Abyssian 'One-Eyed.'"

Elwin finished reading the documents in her hand.

"This information is clearly outdated."

Fu Qinghai shook his head as he drove:
"This was the situation when the Old Republic first discovered the planet Bis several hundred years ago. Now, the Abysians have long been integrated into galactic society, and you could potentially see them on any planet in the outer ring. I don't know the level of technology on Bis, but the Abysians have mastered the methods of piloting spaceships and using blast weapons."

"So we're updating this information now."

Elwin looked out the window at the yellowish-brown planet and said:
Are we going to descend into the atmosphere?

"Yes, observe carefully and be cautious."

Fu Qinghai nodded affirmatively.

The mineral smuggling gang on Sereno was a group of Abyssians. Although they may not necessarily have any connection with the planet Bess, it's always good to be cautious.

The reconnaissance aircraft spent several hours circling the equator of the planet Bis, collecting orbital data. Fu Qinghai slowly pressed down the control stick, and the reconnaissance aircraft descended into the planet's atmosphere.

"Does the fact that we've been assigned to conduct reconnaissance and mapping in advance mean that the Empire wants to completely control this desert planet?"

Elwin looked at the distant surface of the earth and asked.

"Not necessarily. It's also possible that they just want to update the star map data. There's no point in speculating about these things now."

Fu Qinghai shook his head, neither confirming nor denying.

The TIE reconnaissance aircraft continued to descend.

The landscape is already visible through the window.

An endless, lifeless yellow desert.

"Atmospheric pressure, air composition, gravity coefficient..."

Fu Qinghai gave instructions one by one.

Elowin activated the corresponding detectors one by one.

The TIE reconnaissance aircraft sped across the ground.

Fu Qinghai caught a glimpse of a dry riverbed below, where several deep ravines had been carved out of the desert.

There seemed to be light and white smoke in the rift valley.

"Ok?"

A sense of alarm suddenly rose in Fu Qinghai's mind.

Sure enough, the radar immediately issued an alarm:
"It has been locked onto by a guided missile."

"what happened?"

Elwin quickly looked up and asked.

At this moment, three plumes of white smoke suddenly rose in an arc from the riverbed rift, turned in the sky and chased after the fighter jet. At the same time, two more flashing red dots appeared on the outermost edge of the reconnaissance aircraft's radar screen.

Two V-19 Sudden Jet fighter jets.

Looking at the display in the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system.

Fu Qinghai frowned deeply.

Isn't this an open declaration of war?

But there's no time to think about that right now.

The only advantage of the TIE fighter jet is the speed and agility brought about by its extreme lightweight design. However, for the TIE/sr long-range reconnaissance aircraft, this only advantage is gone. The hunchbacked fuselage is crammed with too many detection devices, as well as crew space and hyperspace drives, making the aircraft clumsy and slow, with only a single blast cannon for firepower.

This battle is unwinnable and cannot be fought.

Fu Qinghai reached this conclusion in just 0.1 seconds.

While the V-19 Tornado fighter also lacks a shield system, it possesses two blast cannons and can launch concussion missiles, making the disparity in strength between the two sides overwhelming. Fu Qinghai considers himself an ace pilot among Force-sensitive individuals, but this is not something that can be compensated for by skillful maneuvering. In aerial combat, there is no room for idealism; the difference in aircraft configuration is too great, and if you can't win, you simply can't win.

While he was thinking, his hands didn't stop moving. He pushed the control stick all the way down, and the TIE reconnaissance aircraft reached its maximum speed. At the same time, he flipped a switch, and a series of decoy flares shot out from the tail of the reconnaissance aircraft. Two stun missiles were detonated, but the third stun missile remained firmly behind the reconnaissance aircraft after passing through the smoke cloud of the explosion.

At the same time, the distance is constantly narrowing.

"Ivy, come here, you drive!"

Fu Qinghai immediately gave the order.

He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up, turned around, and grabbed the woman behind him, pulling her into the driver's seat.

Elowin was completely bewildered, not understanding what Fu Qinghai was going to do, but in this critical moment, she didn't ask any questions. Her hands instinctively gripped the control stick, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. At the same time, Fu Qinghai leaned down and helped her fasten her seatbelt.

"We are now..."

Before Elowin could finish speaking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Fu Qinghai beside him: Fu Qinghai raised his hand and pulled down a lever.

"What are you going to do..."

Elwin's eyes widened in shock as he cried out. Then, the cockpit window exploded and shattered, and a tremendous force propelled Elwin, along with the cockpit seat beneath him, from the cockpit and into the sky.

In the empty cockpit, a fierce wind rushed in through the forward viewing window, scattering household items and shrapnel everywhere. Fu Qinghai pulled a massive lightsaber from a hidden compartment in his luggage bag.

"Buzzing sound—"

A thick, bright blue beam of light lit up.

…………