Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 395 Charter Fleet (First Update)
Chen Yu returns to Holy Terra.

His current status is quite unique in the empire's strict hierarchical system—he has neither a prestigious official title nor a high-ranking official position, nor does he possess any hereditary noble title.

However, this does not diminish his current "popularity" among the power structure of the human empire.

He was the originator of the warp drive, the holder of the technology personally ordered by the Emperor to be promoted, and a key figure highly valued by Primarch Rogue Dorn.

His name itself is the eye of the storm of change in this era.

Almost as soon as his flagship, the Eternal Seeker, arrived at the outer reaches of the solar system and before it had even completed its port entry procedures, Terra's vast power machine began to accelerate in response to his return.

Countless eyes, both overt and covert, are focused on him, and countless meticulous calculations are readjusted because of him.

Invitations from certain factions within the Highlords Council, accompanied by veiled promises of benefits, arrived first via encrypted channels.

Several long-established noble families attempted to establish contact with him under the guise of "academic exchange" or "sponsorship of research."

Within the Cult of Mechanics, besides greetings from allies like Nexus, there were also tentative contacts from other observing factions, and even from different voices within Mars itself.

Even some well-informed traveling merchants and ronin dynasties tried to send out invitations through various channels, hoping to become acquainted with this "newly rich" official.

It was as if the entire political magnetic field of Holy Terra was twisting and rotating around Chen Yu, this "singularity," at this moment.

However, Chen Yu, who was at the center of the storm, showed almost absolute indifference to it.

His massive mechanical body pierced through layers of palace defenses, ignoring the various glances and encrypted communication requests that tried to get his attention.

He went straight back to the heavily guarded laboratory deep within the palace, the one that had been assigned to him for technical research.

The laboratory door closed silently behind him, shutting out the noise and disturbances of the outside world.

Inside, there were only the low hum of the servants running, the whirring of the Thinker array cooling the air, and the faint echo of his own mechanical footsteps in the empty space.

He did not revel in the joy of success or the illusion of power.

He was well aware that this surge of attention was essentially a pursuit of the interests represented by the warp drive by various factions, rather than an endorsement of him personally.

He followed the procedure and started the laboratory's routine research project. On the surface, everything was normal, as if he had just returned from an ordinary field trip and was continuing his tedious academic work.

But beneath its calm exterior, its core processor is running at maximum efficiency.

He is waiting.

They awaited the summons from the deepest part of the palace, from the fortress that symbolized the highest power and will of the empire—Rogg Dorn.

He brought back complete test data and the actual operational records of the "Eternal Seeker," which are key to advancing the next phase of the plan.

He needed to report to the Primarch and determine how the Empire would truly use this newly forged key to unlock the door to the future.

Before meeting Dorn, any external interference was merely background noise that needed to be filtered out.
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Roger Dorn's summons came swiftly, just as Chen Yu had anticipated. Deep within the palace, in a tactical room devoid of all unnecessary embellishments and as austere and solid as its owner, the conversation between the two figures who would determine the future course of the empire cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Dorne’s colossal figure stood before the massive star map, which marked the empire’s territory and major shipping routes, many areas of which were blurred due to delays in communication and logistics.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he turned directly to Chen Yu, his voice sharp as if grinding against a rock: "I have reviewed the test data. 'Eternal Seeker' has proven its value."

Now, tell me your judgment.

"Sage Chen Yu, is the Crescent-class destroyer equipped with a warp drive ready for large-scale deployment by the Imperial Navy and the Astartes Chapter?"

Chen Yu's crimson optical lens shone steadily, and the synthesized voice calmly responded: "Primarch, the technology has reached a preliminary stage of maturity, but large-scale deployment is not the optimal solution."

He paused slightly, then pulled up a set of data and projected it next to the star map: "The Imperial treasury cannot support the replacement of all capital ships with warp engines in the short term. The Mechanicus's productivity, even under the new framework, will need time to climb."

More importantly, such radical reforms are bound to trigger a violent upheaval in the empire's existing power and logistical structures, and the resulting backlash may be beyond control.

Dorn frowned almost imperceptibly, but did not interrupt, signaling him to continue.

“I believe that the promotion should be carried out in stages and with different priorities.” Chen Yu’s core argument is clearly presented: “The Navy and the Space Marine Chapters, as the Empire’s ‘sharpest blade and shield,’ can be given priority to obtain a portion of the quota for forming rapid reaction fleets or carrying out specific high-priority missions. This can immediately enhance the Empire’s military projection capabilities, and the scale is controllable.”

His words brought out the real point: "However, there is one sector whose importance is severely underestimated, yet which urgently needs this technology more than any combat unit—the Imperial Charter Fleet."

Chen Yu retrieved information about the Charter Fleet.

These ships are typically large but slow, relying on conventional sub-light-speed engines or inefficient old-fashioned faster-than-light engines to transport seemingly mundane but actually crucial supplies along fixed routes in the physical universe.

They carry food produced from countless agricultural worlds, sustaining trillions of people, and transport the "tithe" materials levied by the Empire that are unsuitable for transport via the warp for various reasons (such as extremely high warp sensitivity or instability of the warp in their star system).

"Because of their slow speed, the empire's resource allocation and tax collection cycles often take hundreds of years, making them extremely inefficient," Chen Yu pointed out. "The Charter Fleet is not the empire's spearhead, but rather the 'blood vessels' that sustain the empire's massive body. If the blood flows slowly, the body will stiffen and die."

He finally explained his strategic considerations: "Prioritizing the replacement of the Charter Fleet with Crescent-class or similar warp-speed transport ships will greatly improve the Empire's logistical efficiency, shorten the turnaround time of critical materials, and fundamentally strengthen the Empire's resilience and stability."

At the same time, this move focuses on improving internal operational efficiency rather than directly strengthening a particular military faction, which can minimize the risk of provoking vested interest groups such as the Navy, the Space Marine Order, and even the Navigator Families, and reduce resistance to its implementation.

This is a more robust and sustainable path that better safeguards the overall health of the empire.

Chen Yu's proposal shifted the focus from purely military applications to a deeper transformation of the empire's lifeline.

This is not merely a suggestion for promoting technology, but a strategic plan based on a profound understanding of the empire's overall structure.

Roger Dorn stared silently at the almost stagnant shipping lanes on the star map, representing slow-moving logistics. His resolute face was expressionless, but deep within his sharp eyes, he was clearly making profound calculations.

Chen Yu's proposal undoubtedly touches upon a problem far more fundamental than simply replacing the warship's engine.

(End of this chapter)