Chapter 66: It is a hero.
There were four main wars.h.i.+p construction firms: Gaia, Amarr, Caldari and Mittal. Their total wars.h.i.+p output accounted for almost sixty percent of the Pan-Human Alliance s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps.
Most territories would not make their own wars.h.i.+ps and would, instead, directly purchase them from the four firms, doing just some small-scale modifications to these purchases thereafter. After all, the design and cost control of wars.h.i.+ps for the big four were the best in the business, and buying the finished products would be much cheaper than building them from scratch.
However, there were also territories that would buy a few special models from the big four for safety reasons or to fulfill certain specialized tasks.
This naval-issue Hookbill frigate was one such special model, not cutting cost by utilizing a complete triple-t.i.tanium plate as its hull, along with extensive improvements to its structure, armor, s.h.i.+elds, and internal electronic systems.
Compared to the usual Eagle-cla.s.s, this Hookbill frigate had a thirty-percent increased performance rating in terms of attack, defense, and mobility!
In other words, this naval-issue Hookbill frigate represented the technological pinnacle of frigates manufactured in this era and was considered the king of all frigates!
Xia Fei could not resist walking over to that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and touching that cold exterior with his hand.
This s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was smaller than the standard Eagle-cla.s.s frigate, appearing to be a lot more rugged, which only added to its aggressive look.
That was when a commotion broke out from somewhere behind him. Xia Fei looked in the direction of the workshop and saw Old Porter seemingly arguing with a short, old coot. The stocky man, in a short-sleeved green s.h.i.+rt and a pair of sungla.s.ses, looked to be in his sixties with that patch of white hair left on his head.
Xia Fei was positioned quite far from them, so he could not make out what they were saying. After a while, that short, old coot led his underlings out of the factory, and Uncle Porter immediately made his way to where Sonny and Xia Fei were standing.
“Xia Fei, this naval-issue, Eagle-cla.s.s frigate is a rare find; if you’re able to, you must buy it,” excitedly reminded Phantom.
Xia Fei nodded. “I understand.”
Porter was still a short distance away when, without warning, he burst into a raucous laughter. Though he was showing a happy countenance as he made his way over, Xia Fei realized that there was a shade of uneasiness and worry behind his smile.
“Sonny, is your mother doing well?” loudly asked Porter.
“My mom’s doing fine. She specifically asked me to bring some sausages and ale to you, though I think Boateng and the others have already finished stealing bites off of them by now.” Sonny returned his smile with one of his own.
Porter turned around in the direction of the workshop and yelled, “Don’t finish the sausages; save some for me!”
Sonny and Porter were now standing in front of Xia Fei, as Porter pointed toward that standard Eagle-cla.s.s frigate and spoke with that same smile. “So? Do you still like that Eagle-cla.s.s frigate?”
Xia Fei nodded, walking over to the front of the s.p.a.cecraft and saying, “This isn’t a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.”
Porter immediately furrowed his brow, the look on his face turning somewhat unpleasant. Sonny was anxiously trying to signal and make eye-contact with Xia Fei, afraid that he would say something inappropriate.
Xia Fei ignored him, merely smiling as he continued, “After its hydraulics system was completely overhauled, it’s more durable than the original, while the rubber strips on the door seal were changed to a more lasting and dense soft metal. Not to mention the choice to swap out the original four-layer, reinforced gla.s.s for the premium six-layer gla.s.s.”
Xia Fei observed Porter’s expression as he spoke. Sure enough, as Xia Fei pointed out each modification to the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, Porter’s face began to show a smile of sheer delight.
“As for the internal mechanism and the electronics of this wars.h.i.+p, I can venture a guess without even taking a look inside—it must’ve improved upon the weaknesses of the Eagle-cla.s.s frigate. Such a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p will be far better than a brand-new, Eagle-cla.s.s frigate. This is no longer a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p but rather a work of art by a maestro!” declared Xia Fei firmly, making a point to flatter Porter with some choice words.
Porter’s two eyes sparkled as he chuckled. “What maestro. It’s not exactly a work of art, but I did indeed make all those modifications as you’ve just described. The Eagle-cla.s.s frigate’s attack power is more than satisfactory, but its defense system is somewhat lacking. Even using inferior material for something as important as the door seal; I simply did some modifications in accordance to what I envisioned as necessary.
“The big four only know how to reduce their manufacturing cost, yet a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p doesn’t only require sufficient firepower. I’m not sure if you know, but a wars.h.i.+p will run into plenty of unexpected problems in s.p.a.ce, and it’s never a good idea to compromise on a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p’s safety capabilities just so they can cut costs.”
Xia Fei feigned surprise. “So this wars.h.i.+p is actually from this great maestro? I won’t lie; I’ve already fallen in love with it the moment I saw it. I’m sure you’ve spent a great deal of time and effort repairing this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, haven’t you?”
Old Porter scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. “We did spend a great deal of effort on it, but it’s truly worth it. A true maintenance mechanic will never ignore any details of a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.”
Sonny pursed his lips from the sidelines. Never did he expect Xia Fei could turn into a flatterer within a blink, so much so that even he felt somewhat embarra.s.sed just by hearing it.
Actually, Xia Fei’s real intention was not that modified Eagle-cla.s.s frigate. He had merely been laying the foundation for him to get the foot in the door. What he really had his eyes on was still that naval-issue Hookbill frigate.
Xia Fei’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Maestro Porter, aside from that Eagle-cla.s.s frigate, I also discovered a hero in your factory.”
“A hero?” Sonny and Porter were baffled as both wondered about this remark.
Xia Fei walked over to the naval-issue Hookbill frigate, looking all serious, and lightly stroked its hull.
“It’s this. This is a true hero!” proclaimed Xia Fei with panache.
“A rare Eagle-cla.s.s frigate that was custom-made for the Navy. An outer hull intricately fas.h.i.+oned out from an unaltered plate of alloy, reinforced s.h.i.+elds, armor and structure… an electronics system boasting superior precision…” Xia Fei rubbed the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p as he rattled on about its many advantages.
Porter nodded his head repeatedly. “I could never guess that, despite you looking to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years of age, you would actually be such a connoisseur.”
“Truly, that is the Eagle-cla.s.s frigate custom-made for the Navy. Back then, the Sutton Empire Navy specially commissioned eighteen of these frigates for their elite guard squadron for them to perform special tasks. It has a smaller frame, which allows it to make even more agile turns and achieve more topnotch speeds. Unfortunately, no matter how good this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is, it’s still just a frigate in the end, so how could you call it a hero?” asked Porter, feeling nonplussed.
Xia Fei quickly stepped forward and pointed to the cramped row of five-pointed stars on its fuselage. “Every star signifies an enemy craft it has brought down, and this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p took down a total of thirty-nine enemy s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps. With such an impressive feat, how could it not be considered a hero?”
Porter was stunned, appearing to be somewhat excited, but he did not say a word.
Xia Fei shook his head in regret and sighed. “It’s such a pity. Such a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p ought to be out in the boundless stars or wreaking havoc out on a battlefield, not here in your factory.”
Porter made his way to the wars.h.i.+p and ran his fingers through the stars carved on the metallic hull, muttering to himself, “Ought to be out on a battlefield?”
He looked on the left and right side of the wars.h.i.+p before deeply sighing. “Indeed, a top-grade frigate like this is hard to come by, but it’s just too bad its internal parts have all been ruined and can no longer take flight anymore.”
Xia Fei nodded. “Indeed, it is a real pity. Why don’t you repair it? I do believe that, given your skills, you can restore this naval-issue Hookbill frigate back to its past glory.”
Porter’s eyes momentarily flashed but very soon dimmed. “It’s not that simple. This is a top-tier, custom-made frigate. All its components are pretty much built to order, and it’s very hard to find replacement parts.”
Xia Fei smiled. “Maestro Porter, how will you know if you don’t give it a shot?”
Porter patted the fuselage twice fitfully. “Come, let’s share a drink or two in my office.”
The three men headed in the direction of the workshop, and Xia Fei could not resist giving that Hookbill frigate a few more glances. “Could it really not be repaired?”
“Do you really want that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p?” suddenly asked Porter.
“But of course. Only a fool would not like such a top-notch frigate,” Xia Fei spoke frankly, not at all disguising the love he had for the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
Porter took the sausages that Sonny had brought over and cut pieces of them onto a plate before retrieving some gla.s.ses to pour out three portions of ale. The three men shared a meal at a small round table and consumed the sausages with ale in hand.
The ale contained a high alcoholic content, and Xia Fei could feel it burning as it washed down his gullet. He was not used to such a stiff drink, so he could only take a mouthful at a time.
Porter took a vintage tablet from a nearby desk, pulling out an image of Xia Fei and Chen Dong’s fight, and handed it to Xia Fei.
“Are you this Xia Fei?” asked Porter as he took a big swig of his ale.
Xia Fei chuckled politely and returned the tablet to the old man. “How did you find out?”
Porter tossed the tablet back onto the desk and answered, “Your eyes glowed when you began talking about that naval-issue, Eagle-cla.s.s frigate, and that’s when I knew for sure that you’re actually that fella who had that big fight with Chen Dong for twenty-one days straight. Both of you shared that same look of determination.”
Sonny was fighting a cold war inside him, nearly losing his grip on the ale in his hand as he sputtered, “You’re THAT Xia Fei?”
Xia Fei smiled and nodded, not denying the fact.
“Do you know that my mom loves you to death? She said that you’re the most cunning and resolute young man she has ever laid her eyes on. She’ll definitely beat me to death if she ever finds out I’m earning your money!” cried Sonny very solemnly.
‘Cunning? That doesn’t seem to be a positive a.s.sessment.’ Xia Fei could not help but laugh. “Relax, as long you don’t tell your mother about me, and I keep mum about it either, she won’t ever find out.”
Porter poured another gla.s.s for himself and finished it at one go.
“If you want, you can take that Hookbill off my hands, but I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to repair it,” Porter slowly said, the tone in his voice hiding a hint of sadness.
Xia Fei was delighted hearing this, asking, “Uncle Porter, are you really willing to sell that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p to me?”
Porter sighed. “That s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was left to me by my best friend.I was originally unwilling to part with it, but I gave your words some thought. Truly, that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p should not be left in my small factory but should continue soaring through s.p.a.ce, instead.
“Though that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is from a bygone era, its armor and structure are still as good as new. In fact, it is even st.u.r.dier than the new ones. As long as you are able to repair it, it can still be considered as a top-grade frigate in this universe!” proudly proclaimed Porter.
Xia Fei nodded vigorously. “I definitely believe that. Just what components does it still lack?”
Porter saw that steely determination in Xia Fei’s eyes and broke out into a smile. He took that vintage tablet from the desk and handed it to Xia Fei once more. “Take a look for yourself.”
Xia Fei stared at the screen for a moment before taking a sharp intake of breath. “Oh, my G.o.d!”