Ch.103103. Hive Ship

Through the coordinate transmitter installed on the far side of the moon, as 700 spaceships were moving into space one after another.

Using the crude method of crashing the first-arriving spaceships containing only energy into the lunar surface, they began creating an environment for building an outpost on the moon’s surface—in other words, starting terraforming.

While psychic energy and minerals are quite abundant, the soil and bedrock here severely lack the nutrients needed for biological matter to grow.

That’s why such a crude method is being used.

In the silence possible only because there’s no medium to transmit sound—after the quiet massive collision of 300 spaceships larger than nuclear aircraft carriers, I was able to supply just enough nutrients to the target area.

‘Now it begins.’

[······It’s starting.]

Using various biological components located within the ship hull debris—using nutrients to multiply flesh, I began to systematically take control of the lunar surface and its surroundings.

The first thing I built in this conquered territory was tentacles for absorbing psychic energy, which I drove deep into the ground to receive psychic energy to use as energy for initial terraforming.

I could directly supply psychic energy from the psychic dimension, but right now there are neither biological facilities capable of handling that energy, nor installations to convert that primordial high-density psychic energy into nutrients.

Anyway, I first secured underground space to avoid meteorites hitting the lunar surface, then built energy storage facilities and biological installations to convert psychic energy into nutrients.

And meanwhile.

‘Theo, I order you to recover moonstone.’

[Affirmative. Following your instructions.]

After waking Theo from hibernation and equipping him with an advanced Valkyrie suit specialized for lunar gravity operations, I ordered him to raid drilling facilities of countries from around the world on the lunar surface to recover moonstone.

If I had my way, I’d use the collected moonstone to create an ultimate weapon for the final battle—an advanced version of the machine I used before… but this moonstone has another purpose.

Specifically, for an ultra-massive ship to travel between stars. A biological vessel that can fold space itself to cross tens of light-years in seconds.

I plan to use it as the power source for an interplanetary ship—the prototype of what’s called a Hive Ship.

From the beginning, the moon is too distant from humanity to be directly terraformed for use.

Moreover, except for trace amounts of moonstone, the resources buried here aren’t particularly difficult to obtain elsewhere, and there’s a good possibility that other planets or satellites have more moonstone.

Above all, there are about two better lands to pioneer within the solar system.

First, there’s Mars. As the planet considered to have the greatest terraforming potential, it’s my primary target, and according to the plan, it will likely become the planet where the interstellar Hive Ship is actually manufactured.

The second target is Titan, Saturn’s moon, which is not only advantageous in terms of energy supply due to its abundant hydrocarbons, but being close to the gas giant Saturn makes it possible to obtain vast amounts of energy from there.

Therefore, according to the current plan, Titan will probably serve as the main base until the Hive Ship is completed, and even after the Hive Ship is finished and leaves the solar system to settle on another planet, Titan will likely remain as an outpost in the solar system.

Anyway, while I’ve enthusiastically made these plans······I’m still only at the stage of building production facilities on the moon.

So, the first project I came up with in this situation was—

‘What else? I need to build a prototype Hive Ship quickly.’

The plan was to leave the moon first, then start everything else.

And one month passed.

※ ※ ※

Within about a week, I completed the facilities to supply energy.

When uncontaminated psychic energy—not polluted by the thoughts of sentient beings—flows from the isolation chamber containing the passage to the psychic dimension that I opened at the center, this energy travels through mythril pipes to be distributed everywhere.

Psychic energy supplied to the nutrient converters becomes “nutrients” that form the basis of monster biomatter, while psychic energy flowing into the shipbuilding facilities serves as the power source operating the biological systems there.

And as for my interplanetary prototype Hive Ship—

The keel (spine) and basic frame (endoskeleton) were already completed, and now we were at the stage of attaching the flesh and carapace that serve as the outer walls while working on the interior.

According to the original plan, it should have become a mobile headquarters with various ship-to-ship weapons, small biological carrier aircraft, and its own monster production facilities······but there was one minor problem.

Building a biological ship in a way similar to constructing a metal ship is several times more inefficient than I had anticipated.

While ordinary monsters can be most efficiently produced in their completed form, building such a massive facility and pouring in all the necessary resources consumes an unexpectedly large amount of energy.

Therefore, I decided.

‘I guess this needs to be done in one go.’

Instead of using this method—manufacturing parts in production facilities and combining them into one massive organism—I would create biological ships that start at a reasonable size and grow by consuming food.

Starting with small—though still about 100 meters in length—Hive Ships that serve as carrier aircraft, the Hive Ship grows by absorbing energy and consuming nutrients.

Based on the blueprint encoded in its genes, it evolves from destroyer to cruiser to battleship, and finally to an interstellar Hive Ship capable of traversing space independently.

Naturally, the numbers decrease at each higher tier, and not many small Hive Ships will be able to grow to the final stage, but that’s actually what I’m aiming for.

Battleships to assist in bombardment during engagements with alien vessels, cruisers to escort them, destroyers to shoot down approaching small craft using their small size and agility, and carrier aircraft that serve as both offensive weapons and defensive facilities.

Since all these ships are necessary in space warfare, maintaining a naturally appropriate ratio of the fleet is actually good news for me.

Of course, this approach also has several disadvantages.

If a large number of Hive Ships of a particular class are destroyed, fleet operations could become difficult, and while faster than manufacturing from scratch, the growth speed is still a significant drawback.

And above all, what concerns me most is the vast amount of biological energy—nutrients—needed for the Hive Ships’ growth.

While I can open a passage to the psychic dimension to supply and convert energy, so the source itself exists, I’m pessimistic about whether this source can be installed inside a mobile Hive Ship.

Only the largest biological ships—interstellar Hive Ships—have space to install the source, but the problem is that if I cram in this source, the Hive Ship won’t have room for the biological interstellar engine.

While it can comfortably accommodate a small source that provides psychic energy for folding space during interstellar travel, this isn’t enough to feed growing Hive Ships to their maximum size.

Therefore, I’ve devised three main methods for growing small Hive Ships.

First, install sources at planets that will serve as supply bases, similar to the one I set up on the moon.

While there’s a high risk of being discovered and attacked by aliens or humans who have developed into an interstellar civilization, the amount and efficiency of energy supply is several times better than the other two methods, making it an unavoidable choice.

The second method is to equip Hive Ships with “predatory organs” to attack other ships or planets.

Not a mouth, of course—to be precise, the form resembles milky-white tentacles.

High-concentration matter-dissolving solution secreted from the tips can be used as a self-defense weapon in ultra-close combat, and they can also absorb the dissolved matter.

And the final method, currently beyond impossible to the point where I can’t even attempt it, is a massive Hive Ship—the size of a decent satellite—large enough to accommodate a source while still capable of interstellar travel.

If the blueprint in my mind is realized, this Hive Ship will be equipped with a Planet Buster function that can fire an ultra-massive laser cannon—kilometers in diameter—to collapse a planet’s crust and annihilate planetary civilizations.

Although somewhat less efficient, it can produce Hive Ships up to cruiser size through its internal production facilities and source, and will have at least billions of “mid-tier” monsters serving as crew.

And as escort ships to shoot down approaching small craft—at least four interstellar Hive Ships will travel with hundreds of thousands of auxiliary vessels.

I don’t plan to do something stupid like creating a second Death Star, so there won’t be any ventilation shafts.